Freedom in Ignorance
by percy-potter-pond
Summary: There were many moments Percy Weasley regretted: walking out on his family, and the day Audrey Williams placed her absolute trust in his hands - the same day he shattered her life. The future grows ever darker around a girl who can't decide between awe and anger and a boy, who is too proud to say the words he needs to keep her.
1. Harsh Discovery

**Authors Note:** Hello! Please enjoy this first part of my new story! This may have some aspects that are not in canon with Harry Potter but the main storylines will be the same, just some added scenes here and there but will exist as it's own story. . . but who knows what happened in the bits JKR didn't write about?

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

This was not possible, not possible at all.

But it was there.

Staring her right in the face.

"Are …" said Audrey slowly, dreading the answer. "Are you magical?"

"Er …" replied the man in front of her. "No?"

"Right," she said, trying to absorb the huge amount of new information pouring into her head. "What are you going to do now?"

The man frowned like he was facing a grim decision.

"I'm going to have to wipe your memory."

* * *

 _"Love, like everything else in life, should be a discovery, an adventure, and like most adventures,_

 _you don't know you're having one until you're right in the middle of it."_

 **― E. A. Bucchianeri**

* * *

The neighbourhood was dark and deserted and definitely not safe at eleven-thirty at night on Bridgeman Road, but Audrey Williams was feeling a little reckless and this was the quickest way back to her house; she was going to be a tiny bit stupid in exchange for a little excitement in the life she had been given.

Light spilled onto the road and four men tumbled out of a nearby pub, shouting at the steadily closing door. They smelt bad even compared with the rubbish bins perched precariously on the edge of the footpath; Audrey gave them a wide berth and continued walking, holding the strap of her bag to gain a small amount of security needed for a eighteen year old girl to walk alone at night.

A faint noise could be heard over the usual rumble of traffic and her ears sharpened, trying to identify the sound as danger. It sounded like a lot of voices jumbled together – too many to fit onto any of the streets she was on now. She brushed it off, focusing on the lecture she had attended that day; it was probably one of the parties in the field she was always hearing about from the locals.

If it had been that gang always on the news she wouldn't have survived. She had no defence except for a bag filled with five heavy textbooks. They were pretty substantial so maybe she'd be fine.

Audrey kept walking, eliminating any thoughts from her mind that were distracting her from the route she was taking; it was not unusual to get lost in the winding streets and dead ends of her town. What had Lina said today? Oh yes, her friend had invited her to spend a week at the beach. It sounded like a great escape from the essays and lectures that had controlled her life, dragging her along kicking and screaming but her dad probably wouldn't let her go, he never did.

Something kept eating away at the back of her mind – like she had forgotten something really important. Audrey took a quick look around and decided to take a short cut through the field, it would get her home faster so she could do the thing she had . . . that was weird, what had she forgotten to do?

The grass squelched underfoot as the young woman fought her way through a small forest, trying to avoid tripping on any sticks or stones that cropped up in her path. Audrey drew the collar up on her black coat and tucked her hands into the pockets. Even though it was summer, it felt quite cool in the evening air and the last thing she needed was a cold – her boss would murder her. The strange thing was, as she got closer and closer to the field the more she felt the need to get home. It was like a giant had wrapped her in string and was now pulling her in, faster and faster, and at the end she'd be horribly eaten alive. Her pace increased, setting her sights on her unseen destination.

"Ow!" Audrey cried as she fell back, hitting her head on a tree branch. "That doesn't feel nice at all," she elaborated, getting shakily back to her feet. It was only when she stopped grumbling and the wind died that Audrey realised she wasn't alone. There were people talking in the next clearing using raised voices and sounding faintly hysterical – these people were scared.

Very curious, Audrey crept quietly over to the next tree and pressed her back into it, making sure her curls of chocolate hair were not making their way into sight of the small clearing. Once she had a steady footing on the loose forest floor, she focused on the voices, leaning ever so slowly forwards to gain a greater vantage point for eavesdropping.

A girl was speaking, sounding anxious. "What if they can't get them down?"

"They will," said another voice – a boy this time, sounding less worried and more annoyed, "they'll find a way."

"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight!" added the girl. "I mean; how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking, or are they just -"

She broke off like she had heard something and Audrey's heart started to beat rapidly. Trying to stay as quiet as possible she stepped forwards, facing the branch that had hit her. Not only were these people talking nonsense but they were about to discover her, hiding and listening to a conversation that should have been private. Making a quick decision, Audrey ran towards a clump of bushes and hoped to the high heavens that it'd be enough to cover her tall frame.

"Hello?" called another voice, different to the ones who had been speaking before. With a jolt that sent waves of relief through her stomach, Audrey heard another pair of footsteps nearby which were the source of the little group's interest. "Who's there?" She needed to get home, and fast, she had definitely forgotten something important and it seemed like the field had occupants other than herself.

Just as Audrey was preparing to make her escape, a shout came from so close behind her that it made her jump about a foot in the air. She couldn't make out exactly what the man had said but a green light was suddenly illuminating the patch of trees, shooting something into the sky like a firework. It was hard to make out from under the leaves, but Audrey could clearly make out a skull shape and what looked like a serpent protruding from its mouth.

For a moment, nothing happened, only the wind whistling through the trees and an eerie silence to accompany it …

Then the screaming started.

She was so wrapped up in dread by now that Audrey couldn't move for fear of making herself visible to the unknown people around her. The screams were so twisted and terrified and so full of horror that Audrey recognised the firework as something dangerous. Of course it was, it had just appeared when that man had called for it.

The man!

Audrey whipped around in her crouched position to see a head. Just that, a head. Floating in the middle of the trees with eyes shrouded in darkness, gazing in wonder at the beautiful mark above him.

Her breathing quickened as she stared in petrified bewilderment at the man … and the man stared back. Their eyes locked and for a moment, it was like Audrey was connected with him – like she could understand.

Audrey inhaled sharply and twisted back around, praying that he didn't see her.

She heard a footstep and started to shake.

The sound felt ominous and Audrey tensed, drawing her legs into her chest.

Two steps.

He only needed a few more to reach her – And what was making the crunching noise if he was only a head?

Three steps.

She was going to die. Too much had happened in the space of five minutes and Audrey was trapped between two equally foreign people.

Four steps.

The leaves rustled behind her making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She couldn't turn around to save her life.

Five steps.

She could hear people running in the distance, smell the fresh leaves on the floor below her, feel the bush digging into her back, and all she could focus on was a little caterpillar that was happily going about its life.

Audrey could hear heavy breathing about a metre away from her ear. This was it.

"Who's there?" someone asked, clear and refreshing over the sound of impending doom.

"Harry, come on, _move_!" said another voice, the same girl, sounding almost as terrified as Audrey was. The words were the trigger for the increasing adrenaline running through her body and she sprung up, using all her courage to run past the young people and sprint towards the edge of the forest; the field was closest and at least she'd be in an open space.

Dirt flicked up behind her as she scrambled up the last hill, desperately needing to get to somewhere safe. Audrey emerged from behind a great oak tree to see …

"What the …?" she said, halting in her tracks to stare at the scene before her.

It looked like a stadium, but not one like she'd ever seen before. It had golden walls that stretched skyward, completely dominating the landscape surrounding it; it would have fit thousands of people. There were tents dotted all over the field with some of the strangest things Audrey had ever seen. Flying broomsticks, moving posters, full outdoor kitchens, talking inanimate objects, and a number of small people dropping coins on the crowd.

Of course it would have looked nicer if everyone wasn't running all over the place, screaming in fear, the source of which seemed to be coming from a group of people with black dresses who had . . . no, that wasn't real right?

Four people were hanging upside-down like grotesque puppets, moving through the air.

What in the world was happing?

Her urge to get home was becoming unbearable but Audrey was now being overtaken by a need to help. The night's experience was so far outside of her perception of reality that it was like she was walking in a dream, and dreams can't hurt people. This strange community were in trouble and she couldn't just run away.

She saw a little girl trip on a tent pole, her mother leaving her, not realising she had fallen behind. Making a split second decision, Audrey ran forwards, helping the girl get back onto her feet and brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"Hey, you alright now?" asked Audrey, holding the girl's hands.

The girl nodded, her bottom lip trembling. "Mummy left me."

"I didn't see that," she replied reassuringly. "I think your mummy was just scared that she would lose you."

"Okay."

"What's your name?" asked Audrey, trying to locate her mother in the crowd of bustling people.

"Enid," said the girl. Before Audrey could reply, a huge explosion sounded from their right. They fell to the ground, the older girl protecting Enid with her body. She felt dirt enter every crevice and sneezed as it tickled her nose, the smoke was overpowering and it propelled Audrey to move.

"Come one," she said, grabbing Enid's hand again. They started running to nowhere in particular until they had a huge stroke of luck.

Someone took Enid into a warm hug, clinging onto the girl like she was their life anchor. "I'm sorry, so sorry," she said, swinging her daughter around.

They started running again and Audrey was left in the midst of a declining crowd. She realised with a sick feeling that the people in black had vanished, leaving the family lying on the ground, surrounded by concerned strangers.

Feeling nothing else but that burning desire to know more and help out, Audrey walked towards the group who were tending to the family. A sense of apprehension was thick in the air and they were all muttering to each other in hushed voices, obviously shocked by the amount of destruction in front of them.

"Are they going to be okay?" she asked the person nearest to her, a tall man with horn-rimmed glasses who looked about the same age as her.

The man turned to her and raised his eyebrows. "And who are you?"

Audrey mimicked his face, thinking this was not the time to be judgemental. "My name is Audrey Williams and I'm worried about these people."

"It's classified," he said haughtily, turning back to the family.

"No it's not," replied Audrey, pulling him back to face her, "those people over there are hurt and you have a huge crowd standing around and no one regulating who is getting close. That man over there is talking to his wife and that lady is comforting her children who can all see what has happened and I'm sure are asking questions."

He looked down at her appraisingly; his hair caught the firelight and Audrey gave an internal smile, she loved red hair. "They were hurt. We think it was a basic locomotion spell but we can't be sure, they are going to need their memories modified so that they can go back to being happily ignorant muggles."

Spells? Modify? Muggles? Was he mocking her by talking bullshit or was he actually being serious. He sure seemed convinced of his words.

"This is crazy," was all she managed to force out. "Absolute craziness."

The man looked confused for a couple of seconds, his eyes travelled to her skirt, coat and bag that had memorabilia from many things including the Cold Chisel logo and an embroidery pattern of Lina and herself, showing clearly the difference between their blond and brown hair. Audrey's deep brown eyes stood out in this, like they were staring at your darkest secrets, or so Lina had said. His eyes widened and he took an involuntary step backwards.

He pointed a long, thin piece of wood at her and whispered something, making a jet of purple light erupt from the end and engulf her; after a few minutes the light disappeared and Audrey allowed the full weight of her night to make her chest seize up and finally realise the complete insanity of what she was seeing.

This was not possible, not possible at all.

But it was there.

Staring her right in the face.

"Are …" started Audrey slowly, dreading the answer. "Are you magical?"

"Er …" replied the man in front of her. "No?"

"Right," she replied, trying to absorb the huge amount of new information pouring into her head. "What are you going to do now?"

The man frowned like he was facing a grim decision.

"I'm going to have to wipe your memory."

* * *

 **Authors Note:** I like reviews; I'd really like to hear what you think of the story so far, whether it be good or bad.


	2. Curiosity

**Authors Note:** Please enjoy this chapter and give me any feedback or anything. In the next chapter I'll really get into the plot.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter . . . or much else for that matter.

* * *

 _"I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something was pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of magic so it must be all around us. In this garden - in all the places."_

 **― Frances Hodgson Burnett**

* * *

" _I'm going to have to wipe your memory."_

Audrey's brow furrowed as she tried to put his words in a context understandable to herself. "I- I don't understand," she said quietly, taking a tentative step back.

"I'm very sorry Ms Williams but it's procedure that has to be dealt with. Mr Crouch always says that –"

"What do you mean 'dealt with'?" asked Audrey, feeling quite scared about the amount of things she didn't know. "And who is Mr Crouch?"

"Once again you display a surprising ignorance about process and rules," said the man haughtily; Audrey wondered if she'd offended him somehow.

Very slowly, so as not to draw attention to it, Audrey started to kick at a piece of hot metal near her feet, needing something to rely on if thing turned sour. "What's your name?" she asked him casually, blowing her long hair out of her face.

"Percy," he replied. Percy looked at her with apprehension, like he wasn't enjoying the decisions he had to make. Audrey got the feeling he was usually one to be sure of his actions.

"I need you to talk to me like I'm stupid," said Audrey, bravely stepping forwards so they were speaking at the same level. "What are you going to do to me?"

Percy sighed and fiddled with his glasses awkwardly. "I will have to take away the last hour or so from your memory."

"How?" said Audrey with narrowed eyes.

"With magic," replied Percy. "Don't worry, it won't take away anything of importance."

"Importance!" Audrey spluttered indignantly. "I've just discovered a whole new race of people who can create light and wipe memories and blow up tents and I just have to forget that happened? You tell me what's important."

The voices around them had begun to rise as the crowd started to return form their retreat into the woods. Percy took a quick look around and grabbed her arm, dragging her over to the edge of the crowd. Audrey still smelt the smoke from the various campsites and saw the utter relief on everyone's faces as they realised they were safe; this didn't happen often Audrey concluded. A wizard in a strange dress choice of plus-fours hurried past yelling, 'Make a path, Obliviator coming through," causing Percy to step swiftly in his line of sight to avoid him seeing the girl.

"Ms Williams," he started again in that reasonable tone. "You are a muggle and you shouldn't have been able to get here in the first place- in fact, how did you get here? There are muggle-repellent charms completely surrounding this area."

"I- I was, er … walking home and I really needed to get home, you know? So I decided to cut through this field and I just walked into . . . this," said Audrey, gesturing around at the destruction. She was starting to acknowledge that her situation was real and knew she had to get away before this stranger acted upon his threat.

Percy nodded, searching her with a calculating look. "Thank you for your cooperation. I know it must be overwhelming to see all of this," he said, giving the shadow of a smile.

"It's a little more than overwhelming," she replied.

"Percy!" someone shouted from a little way across the field. "Percy, over here!"

The boy turned to see two red-heads jogging towards them. One was shorter and musclier than Percy but had the same brown eyes and the other was tall and had a long ponytail down his back. Percy seemed to recognise them because he accepted the short ones relieved embrace.

"Where did you run off to?" he asked, slinging an arm around an uncomfortable looking Percy. "Me and Bill lost you about fifteen minutes in."

"Bill and I," corrected Percy, ducking out from under his arm. Bill and the other one shared an amused glance before shifting their attention to the girl standing next to him.

"Who's this Percy?" asked Bill as he stepped forward and shook Audrey's hand in a firm grip. "Picking up girls in the middle of the battle? That doesn't sound responsible, would Mr Crouch approve?" he teased, grinning widely. Percy's ears turned bright red and he shot them both dirty looks which they absorbed contently.

Audrey smirked slightly at the pompous boys' embarrassment, it must have been a sore spot for him. She stayed quiet, she didn't know who these people were no matter how nice they acted; anything could happen to her and her father would never know.

Percy peered over the top of his glasses at her and leaned into the two boys beside him. Audrey only caught a word that sounded like 'muggle' but had no idea what it meant. The two boys' smiles vanished instantly and they nodded solemnly at whatever argument Percy was presenting.

"Hello Audrey," said Bill, but this time there was a hint of seriousness under his cheerful tones. "I know this is difficult, but we do have to wipe your memory and it would be good if you could give us your permission otherwise this is going to a bit . . . well let's just say you should let us do this."

Audrey stared at them, eyes wide. "No!" she exclaimed, horrified at the very thought. "They are _my_ memories; you can't just take them."

"No muggle can know about our world unless they have a deep personal connection with a witch or wizard. It may be stupid but they are the rules," said the short one.

"That's inhumane," she muttered as they went back to their private conversation. An idea hit her, so obvious that she was surprised she hadn't thought of it before. Using the dense crowd as cover, Audrey crouched down and moved through the people, avoiding elbows and swinging legs but effectively avoiding the three red-heads.

She had no idea why losing her memories of the night was so frightening; everything she had seen in the last twenty minutes both terrified and captivated her so she was now utterly enthralled by the world she had discovered. Losing her memory meant losing control, it meant that these people had power over her, it meant that for the rest of her life she wouldn't know about the amazing world that existed so harmoniously with her boring one that it was invisible.

Panicked voices could be heard from where she had left but she wasn't turning back, Audrey was so very curious that she had to keep moving and find out more.

A women hurried past her, robes billowing in her rush, had a note pad suspended in mid-air in front of her, a feather-quill writing down notes while she was talking. Audrey grinned, this was incredible! Two men were thoughtfully leaning on a light post, both smoking something that was emitting puffs of different coloured smoke, adding a sweet smell to the existing night air. They were both wearing curious garments: a full-body swimming costume and a lady's dress; she spared a few chuckles for those men.

A younger woman was trying to get her daughter to stop crying, in the end she took out her own wooden stick and brandished it in a spiral, creating a little toy broomstick which flew around the child's head, making her gurgle with joy. This one made Audrey gasp in wonderment.

It was all making her head spin; it was like she was standing on the edge of a cliff with a valley of gold below her. She was on the verge of opening something wonderful and it was exactly what she needed to see.

All her life she had known the world worked in certain ways and people lived certain lives: grow up, get a job, get a house, get married, have a kid. No one ever told her that life would contain so many mysteries hidden on the way home.

I won't forget one line of this, Audrey promised herself.

The crunching noise of footsteps on burnt wood reached her ears but she thought nothing of it, instead Audrey continued to observe the people.

"Hey!" she cried as someone grabbed her roughly by the arm. "Let go!" Audrey looked up to see Percy standing behind her, looking angry. Bill and the other one caught up, out of breath and looking somewhere between annoyed and amused.

"Sorry," said Percy hastily, dropping her arm. "Are you alright? You can't just run off like that."

Audrey nodded but stood her ground, defiantly looking into his eyes. "You are _not_ going to make me forget this. You can't do that."

And finally, Percy let his head fall in defeat.

"Alright," he replied seriously. "But there will be conditions."

Bill and the other one stared at him, disbelief written through every inch of their faces. "Who are you and what have you done with our brother?" said the short one. Percy blinked, appearing as confused as they were.

"Can you show me some magic?" asked Audrey timidly, not wanting to push her luck.

"Sure," replied the other one. "My name's Charlie by the way." They shook hands and Charlie stood back, giving a gentlemanly push to Percy who stumbled forwards. "You found her, she's your responsibility now."

Percy scowled and shook his head.

"Please show me, I've never seen anything like this and I doubt I ever will again," said Audrey encouragingly. "Does the wood in your wand create energy? Is it a technique that you have to learn? What sort of people are magical? Can you learn to do magic? Have humans evolved to be like you or are you a completely different species altogether?" She stopped, breathing heavily from the torrent of questions that had been pressing on her mind since Percy conjured the purple light.

The three boys looked faintly horrified by the amount of curiosity coming from the girl.

Bill spoke up, doing his best to answer each question, "No idea, yes, erm- random and by families, no, er . . . bloody hell I've never even thought about it. Does that answer it?"

Audrey frowned, trying to follow what he had said according to her questions. "I think so."

"There's Mr Crouch," said Percy, spotting someone from across the campsite. "I'd better inform him about this." He scurried off after a man with a toothbrush moustache and the air of someone very important who had just been hit with a cricket bat; he looked a little lost.

"Off you go Percy," said Charlie, barely containing his laughter. "Oh merlin look at him, I'm almost ashamed to say we're related."

Audrey bit her lip, still very disordered from all the things she was seeing but decided the two men in front of her were good enough and put forward her anxiety. "When I was in the woods," she started uncertainly, waiting for the nod of assent from Bill and Charlie. "Well, I saw- , well I say I saw but I don't really know but, anyway . . . I _think_ I saw the man who made the firework. I'm still a little confused about how he would do that but-"

"What?" interrupted Bill sharply, pointing towards the green skull that was still in the sky. "You mean the dark mark?"

"Er . . . I, yes," said Audrey.

Charlie started forward but before he could say anything Percy reappeared, looking a little put out.

"Percy," said Charlie to his younger brother (or at least, that's what Audrey assumed). "Audrey saw who conjured the dark mark."

Percy's eyes lit up; not in a good or bad way. It was like he had just seen a perfect opportunity. "Really?" he asked and walked closer, firmly taking hold of Audrey's arms. "What did he look like? What was he doing? Was he a death eater? How on _earth_ weren't you killed? Who was he? We'll have to get you to the ministry to give evidence, Mr Crouch will be thrilled." He paused, realising that Audrey had frozen – taken aback by the amount of desire and forcefulness in his voice. "Tell me, tell me now because this could help everyone. Was it a spell, a curse or an enchantment? What words did he use? Was he wearing clothes from Azkaban-?"

" _I don't know what you're talking about!_ " screamed Audrey, properly scared by this point.

They both stopped, breathing heavily. After a few moments, Percy released her and placed a tired hand to his forehead. "You don't know anything do you?"

"No, and I think you'd do well to remember that," replied Audrey, still shaking slightly.

"You're just a muggle, just Audrey," he said in a relieved tone.

Audrey opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Bill, "We'd better get back to the tent, we don't want Ron and Ginny returning with no one there."

Percy nodded absentmindedly, apparently still focused on his questions. "You go; I'll walk Audrey home."

His two brothers shared another look and began to make their way back to their tent.

Silence rang around the remaining two figures and it felt creepy, like the build up to a jump scare in any horror movie. To break the awkward silence, Percy drew his wand and waved it in the air, letting it create a shower of sparks; Audrey looked up in amazement at the gold and pink drops of light falling onto her.

Now _that_ was magic.

Her gaze returned to his face when the magic rain disappeared. "What did Mr Crouch say?" she asked.

"He's not happy with me," said Percy looking very woebegone at his response. "I don't think he respects people who are soft with rules."

"Oh," said Audrey. She brightened when she remembered everything she had learnt that night. "Thank you for this . . . this is; I can't even begin describe to you how much this means to me."

Their eyes locked and Percy leaned forward and said, "Thank you too."

Audrey smiled, "I will never forget this."

"Indeed," he agreed straightening back up. "Remember this, _remember_ . . . this is the day you discovered something wondrous. This has been the most incredible night of your life and I have faith in you not to forget it . . . and I'm sorry."

"What?" said Audrey. "Sorry for what?"

Percy stepped back, determination written into every line of his stature and pointed his wand at the young muggle girl in front of him.

" _Obliviate_."

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Love it? Hate it? Any thoughts? If you have anything to say I'm open to it.


	3. Back To Normality

**Authors Note:** I've completely invented where Audrey lives. Thank you so much to the people who reviewed!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter . . . I would tell people.

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 _"The mind plays tricks. It rejects things until it thinks ― or something tells it ― that the remembering can be handled."_

 **― Robert Ludlum**

* * *

Audrey opened her eyes. She could hear the birds that were always outside her window, she smelt that slightly odd odour of day old fish and chips because her dad and herself were too lazy to ever clean up; she looked down and recognised the green sheets with the forest on them.

Home.

As she rose up from her pillow she placed a pale hand on her head; something was off. It was like there was a huge, important thing she was forgetting. It was probably nothing, she shrugged.

Her head dropped back down onto her pillow, letting the memories of the previous night wash over her. It had been fun . . . well as far as she could remember.

Actually, where had she been? Lina always held some party so she probably just drank a little too much. Strange.

Her telephone rang and Audrey sprang towards it, not wanting to miss whomever might hold more answers.

"Hello, Audrey speaking," she said into the receiver.

"Audrey? Audrey!" A very familiar voice sounded through the phone. "Oh thank god you're all right."

"Lina?" questioned Audrey. "What do you mean, thank god I'm all right?"

The line crackled slightly causing Audrey to lean her ear away from the phone. "I mean you were meant to meet me last night for drinks, you know, to celebrate finishing those huge assessment folders, but you didn't show and next thing I know your dad's phoning me saying that you came home 'lost and confused'," Audrey could almost hear the air quotes from Lina; she had a very low opinion of her father and vice versa, "and then he accused me of trying to send you to a 'irresponsible drug filled party filled with perverts'."

Audrey's pulse quickened slightly as she tried to recall what she had done the previous night. Had she gone out with someone? Had she stayed in with her dad? Had someone drugged her? She could only remember running into the field and then . . . nothing.

"Lina I need you to tell me something because it's very important," said Audrey, standing stiffly, staring down her wall, "was I with someone last night. Did my dad say anything to you?"

"Er . . ." replied Lina, thinking hard; Audrey smirked at the hangover her friend was probably nursing. "Yes . . . I think so, yes."

A crash sounded downstairs and someone cursed loudly as her father apparently tried to do some interior decorating. "Who? Who was it?"

"I dunno, why don't you ask him," she said. "Anyway I have to go, Ben's taking me to brunch with his parents."

"Oh," said Audrey, starting to put the phone down. "Oh! Sorry Lina, I forgot about that, are you excited?"

"Scared out of my mind," said Lina in a pouty voice. "Anyway, see ya later."

"I will."

Audrey placed the phone onto its stand. She felt like someone had just punched her in the gut; where in the world had she been?

The rickety old desk groaned as she bent at the hips and rested her head on the wood, closing her eyes so her memory was not distracted by the other senses. She drew a deep breath, letting the feeling of walking across the damp grass fill her, the smell of the earth, and the brown and green colours of the canopy above. With a sudden gasp, Audrey stumbled back onto her bed.

There was a light, a green light; and . . . a man! Yes, a man with bright red hair; and there had been three of them . . . something had happened, something so, _so_ important; everything had been leading up to this-

"Audrey," interrupted her father, leaning around the door. "I'm going out for a-," he noticed her pale face and the way she was hunched over, "You alright?"

"Er . . ." replied Audrey, scratching her head. "I- I think so, I was just, you know I can't even remember but it's slipped away now- never mind."

Her father looked at her sternly, letting his disappointment become plain. "Well, I certainly hope you've remembered your night and thought long and hard about what choices you have been making." He took a seat at the desk and laid his intertwined hands on his knees; lecture mode. His glasses accented his large nose, passed on to his daughter, and his eyes were the same shade of brown- but, other than this, they were quite different. "You should be spending far less time partying and more time focusing on your study. I know that these are your golden years but you're going to regret it if you waste them. I really thought we had fixed this."

"I know, but-"

"And on top of that, you said that you would stop being so close with that Lina girl, she's a bad influence on you and I don't like the way she pressures you into going out so much."

"Yes, but if you listen-"

"I'll admit, you have stuck to your word these past few weeks and I was proud of you but I don't think this is the best way to start again- up at all hours, dropped off by strange men, calls by hysteric girls wondering if a local murderer had-"

"If you would listen, I would give you an explanation but-," she paused, letting what her father had spoked wash over her. "Wait . . . what did you just say?"

Gerard Williams sighed heavily. "I said that your friend Lina contacted me halfway through a very important-"

"No no, before that."

"What? Oh yes, a boy dropped you off, strange he was, like he was a bit unsure of what to do – took off pretty quickly," said her father, shaking his head disapprovingly. "I just let him go, you had me worrying there for a bit, you were all pale and clammy, I gave you some tea and you slept it off."

Audrey got up and balled her hands into fists, trying to steady herself. "Why don't I remember that?"

"Maybe you were still tipsy, but nothing can be done so I think you'd better clean up and come downstairs, I have to go but there's a bit of toast there for you," said her dad, straightening up his slightly pot-bellied frame. "Jim's in the office at the moment and god knows what he's blown up this time."

"Why didn't you leave earlier?" asked Audrey curiously.

"When my daughter comes home sick and shaking, no matter how disappointed I am, I have to take care of her . . . don't forget that." And with these words, he departed her bedroom, careful to not trip on the pile of clothes in the corner.

The girl collapsed back onto her bed. What she hadn't mentioned was the fact that she didn't 'party'; or not in the way her dad thought she did anyway. Audrey would be the one holding her friend's hair back as they vomited violently into a bucket, the one to call the ambulance if someone was hurt at a concert, the one to give all her friends a ride home, she was _that_ person . . . and she loved it. It had started because she spent nearly a whole year watching her friends completely change every Friday and Saturday night; become fearless, reckless, and stupid all because she was born in December and couldn't drink. Once she had turned eighteen, however, she had still no urge to try anything, even if it was legal now. The thought of no control, and probably a nasty habit of reading too much of the news, scared Audrey to bits.

She was happy, though, with the choices she had made. Audrey took care of her mates; they would find little ways to repay her. The weirdest gift had been given by drunk girl Audrey didn't even know who had just hopped in the car, thinking it was a taxi; Audrey was having a bad night because her boyfriend, called by Lina as the 'biggest fucking idiot to ever get a motorbike', had been discovered with another girl. _Ex_ -boyfriend. The girl with the smudged make-up and bright sparkly red dress had waddled over to a nearby bush and plucked a leaf, giving it to her driver and telling her she should be a leaf, it would make her happier.

But this didn't answer the question of where she had been; her information only left her one avenue to follow.

Audrey had to find this strange man and maybe he'd have the answers she was looking for.

* * *

Table 1

Table 4

Table 3

Table 9

Table 2

Table 8

This had been Audrey's day so far and it hadn't been fun.

Waiting tables would rarely be described as anyone's idea of an enjoyable way to pass the hours but Audrey was so sick of the repetitive movements that filled her life. She dreamed for the day when she could quit the café because she had received enough guidance to get a job in humanities or international politics.

Dreams were so funny. It was like her life had been controlled by what her aspirations had been at that time. At age five she wanted to be a ballerina so she had done lessons for three years. Age eight had been one long year of confusing situations as she had decided she wanted to be a boy. Age's nine to eleven were filled with neighbourhood dogs coming to her yard under false pretences only to be used as mock patients for her future job. Her teenage years had been interesting to say the least; doctors, police-workers, hotel-managers, the army, prime-minister, lawyers, finally, she had just chosen a random degree and began university, hoping to have decided on a career by the time she emerged; an amazing young woman with her life together.

"I think we have it under control now, Audrey," said her boss as she walked into the kitchen. "You can go but please make sure you're on time tomorrow, I'd hate to have to fire you."

Keeping her comments to herself, Audrey departed the shop. It was a beautiful day, a nice summers afternoon with a blue sky and a soft breeze; just the day for strolling mindlessly. The street was quite full of people due to the popular markets that were held down in the town centre. Her footsteps were drowned by the sound of exuberant shop owners selling their wares and the casual answers of the people who had nothing better to do on a Tuesday afternoon.

She entered a stall, remembering the lacking of food in the refrigerator that morning.

"How much," Audrey questioned, pointing at a box of oranges.

The farmer in bright orange overalls peered at them dramatically as though he was weighing up their worth. "Three pounds per kilo, they're a good batch."

"Make it two and you've got a deal," she replied assertively, picking up a bruised orange and dropping it back with a superior air.

"Now missy," said the man. He was happy with her attitude, most people would take what they saw and it was pretty boring to sell fruit all day. "This fruit here's me life, you couldn't spare a couple of coins for a poor old codger like me?"

Audrey smiled. "I'm a student, I know exactly about being poor," she said. "I think you're being unreasonable." She started to walk from the stall.

"Oh fine you cheeky bugger," he called to her cheerfully. "Two it is, but don't tell anyone else." Audrey grinned and thanked the man, returning to the middle of the markets to admire some of the artwork they had on display. There was one showing a beautiful landscape looking over a forest and a huge waterfall; maybe her room needed a touch of brightness, she thought. It could add to the other hundred random things she had sticking to her walls including paintings, small tapestries, bits of rock from every holiday she ever went on, snow globes, a pick axe, some flower pots and a whole lot of band posters. Yeah, she really didn't need, or have room for, anything else.

In the distance she saw a little girl run up to her mother and give her a loving hug, it was a nice scene and Audrey watched them for a second, letting the sadness envelope her.

"There you are," cried a voice from behind her. A tall, broad shouldered man was running up to her. Audrey raised a hand in greeting and waited for him to catch up. "Lina sent me to check on you but you weren't at your work so I just thought, what would Audrey do? It was quite simple."

"Congratulations," replied Audrey dryly, staring up at Lina's twin, Ethan. They both had blond hair but Lina had blue eyes opposed to his green ones and he was more tanned. The three of them had been best friends throughout school. "Why was she checking on me?"

"Oh you know Lina, always worrying," said Ethan lightly, looking around. "What were you looking at?" He paused, spotting the mother and daughter and let out a small 'oh' of realisation.

Audrey looked up at his awkward face. "It's not that," she said and when Ethan shot her an incredulous look she continued, "well it is but not all of it. Do you ever have something you know you forgot but you can't for the life of you remember what it was?"

"Er . . . sometimes?"

"Well I have that problem. And I know it's a very important thing that I _must_ remember but it's like . . . it's like there's a little door in my head," Ethan obviously thought she was crazy so she elaborated, "But it's locked and I just need to find the key . . . maybe some sort of trigger to jog my memory," said Audrey, scratching her head in confusion.

Ethan smiled at her, glad she was off the topic of mothers. "I do have to admit; forgetfulness is one of the most frustrating traits you have."

"I am opposed to the accusation that I have any problem with my memory," said Audrey, walking over to the art stall.

"Don't make me laugh, you forget our birthday's every year!" cried an exasperated Ethan.

"That's not my fault," said Audrey, tucking her hair out of the way to peer at the price of the paintings. "Blimey."

He snorted. "Oh it _never_ is," he said with fake hurt in his voice. "Let's go, I can't be away from Michelle for more than ten minutes or she freaks out."

It was Audrey's turn to snort. "If she was any more controlling, you'd have come with a remote," she said, dissolving into cackles at her own joke. Ethan, being used to the way his friend made herself laugh, absorbed her glee and walked on, only stopping when Audrey had recovered and ran after him. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"I have known you for almost twelve years and I can honestly say I have no idea why you find yourself so funny."

They both laughed and held hands like the friends that they were, walking down the rest of the street in a comfortable silence.

* * *

Percy woke up, for a moment forgetting where he was.

When he had identified his surroundings he sunk back onto the mattress, trying to sleep again. Being in his own room was a welcome feeling after the previous two nights spent with all his brothers. The events at the Quiditch Cup had left everyone shocked and he had already been forced to go to work as soon as they had arrived home on Tuesday morning. It wasn't that he didn't like his job, on the contrary, Percy found himself enjoying it tremendously; it was that he was still thinking about how he wiped the memory of an innocent young woman.

It was the rules, he assured himself. But he couldn't stop seeing her every time he closed his eyes. The completely awestruck face, brightening as she saw the world around her; and then the utter shock as he broke his deal. It felt like she was inferior when he had taken something so personal from her; it was a sickening thought.

He did not feel guilty, Mr Crouch had specifically told him to do it and he was in a senior position at the ministry, of course he was right.

Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep now that he had thought of her again, Percy pushed all his anxieties to the side and rose up from his bed. The clock on his wall said six-thirty so it meant he needed to get to work soon, Mr Crouch was relying on him to be there in the troubled days that were sure to come.

Five minutes later he was downstairs, dressed and ready to walk into his office. "Good morning mother," he said, providing the proper greeting for the time. He kissed her on the cheek and sat down, helping himself to a bit of toast already made for him.

"Hello Percy," said Mrs Weasley, looking up from her book. "How did you sleep?"

"Very well thank you," he said. "The tents we used were quite good but there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed."

"I suppose not," replied his mother, smiling slightly at her son.

They went back to their tasks, Molly with her book and Percy eating his breakfast steadily, not wanting to be rude and rush out after his mother's breakdown the day before. Percy was quite protective of his siblings, though they would never know. He wasn't caring like Charlie or funny like the twins or enigmatically stupid like Ron or charismatic like Bill or brave like Ginny but he was intelligent and loyal and he would stand up for his family no matter what. People would never hear about the great deeds of Percy at Hogwarts, but someday he'd be Minister for Magic and they'd all be proud and he'd finally fit in.

"Percy," someone hissed loudly from the kitchen door. "Over here."

Ignoring the fact that his mother had obviously heard the call, Percy slid out of his chair and joined Bill in the sitting room, shooting his brother a questioning look as Charlie joined them, eyes still closed.

"We need to talk," said Bill, shutting the door firmly behind them. He turned to his younger brother and said, "I can't believe you did it!"

"Did what?" he said, knowing exactly what Bill was talking about but deciding not to make it easy.

"You wiped her memory," said Bill. "That girl who looked as though she had just discovered the most amazing thing in her life, and you just did it!"

Percy sighed heavily, taking off his glasses and polishing them on his robes. "I did it because it's the rules."

"Percy don't lie to us," groaned Charlie, not a morning person by any means. "We know you wanted to let her stay."

"Yeah, we know you liked her," added Bill and as Percy raised an eyebrow he elaborated, "You like being the person with superior knowledge and she was willing to let you show her around. And then you just –"

"Alright, stop," said Percy, standing up. "I thought she was very nice but that doesn't mean I can break the rules."

"No but why didn't you?" asked Bill, not letting the matter drop.

"Because of what she saw, and who she probably saw," replied Percy. The other two shared a confused glance. "I thought if she forgot the wizarding world, there would be no chance of the man who conjured the dark mark to find her again, and since she didn't know anything I let her go. She can't miss a world she never knew about."

Bill and Charlie nodded, not happily, but they understood the thought process involved in his decision. "Where did you take her?" asked Charlie.

"She had an address in her coat pocket, I handed her over to her father," said Percy.

"You rummaged around in a girl's pocket?" teased Charlie, watching his brother's ears go red.

"I have to go to work," he said stiffly, departing the room.

The two oldest Weasley children sank into the armchairs, feeling tired and confused about the events. "Shame," said Charlie finally, "I think she would have gotten on well with Percy."

"We hardly knew her," said Bill.

"I guess."

And for a while, they forgot about the strange occurrence with the chocolate-haired muggle and her memory. Percy, however, did not. The strangest part of the whole situation was his last words to her; why had he said he had faith in her? And why had he told her to remember the magic if he was wiping her memory? Percy pushed these questions aside, preferring to focus on a rather angry letter coming from the Bulgarian Sports Department; at least that was a dilemma he could solve.

Many miles away a girl tossed in her bed because of the bad dreams she was having about fire and a pair of cold eyes staring into hers.

Audrey awoke with a start, heart pounding and thoughts racing wildly.

She had somewhere to be.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Please review if you have anything to say! Or nothing to say, I don't mind.


	4. Answers

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

 _"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places._

 _Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."_

 **-Roald Dahl**

* * *

Audrey Williams pushed through the raging crowds, nudging one person then another as her crusade to the exit became threatened by the sheer mass of people in the underground. Emerging into the London street she pulled out her umbrella, predicting the weather even in the summer season.

Her sandals slapped on the wet pavement and Audrey walked lightly to avoid splashing her legs. She stopped at a crossing, waiting impatiently for the light to turn green. The people around her seemed to be in the same rush, doing a funny dance on the balls of their feet, as though imagining running across the road.

Safely on the other side - an ominous thought occurred to the girl; a very important point. Where was she going? Her original impulse had taken her to the centre of London but there was no reasoning for it other than instinct.

Dread settled in her stomach as she recognised the impossible nature of her task; find something she forgot. The previous night had seen her wake up in a cold sweat, recalling a vivid scene that included a man with murderous eyes staring into her own. For some reason this dream had made her deathly afraid of something – something unknown in the dark.

And now Audrey was in London. On a whim.

There was a small café to her left and, despite her premonitions about such places because of her work, she entered and sat down, the smell of warm coffee beans bringing comfort to her mind.

"May I get you something miss?" said a small girl to her right. Audrey smiled at her, she couldn't have been older than fourteen.

"Er … maybe a tea?" Audrey replied, remembering that she actually had to order. She made her preferences and the girl walked away. The distraction had taken her away from her predicament; she needed a strategy to finding her answers. They were somewhere around her, she just knew.

Her tea arrived and Audrey took her time, carefully observing the other customers. They all looked happy and content, opposed to her own stature which was screaming frustration.

"Are you alright?" an elderly gentleman on the next table questioned.

"Oh yeah," said Audrey hurriedly, losing the deranged expression. "Tough day." The man nodded sympathetically and returned to his coffee. Before anyone else questioned her less than perfect appearance, Audrey payed and walked out of the shop, pausing at the entrance because she had no idea what to do now.

Acting on nothing more than an impulsive thought, Audrey turned in a random direction and began to walk, strolling the streets for any trigger that might mean she remembered the important thing.

* * *

It had been two hours and Audrey had found nothing at all; her search had been in vain and she was considering turning back home. The particular street she was walking on was quite deserted, leaving only the sound of the traffic on the next road and the sight of a rickety old telephone box.

She sighed heavily, her answers could not be found here.

That was until a boy caught her eye. He wasn't strange, or different or mind-blowing but he caused her to stop and face his retreating figure, disappearing around the corner onto the busier street.

Before she could think about the utter craziness of her actions Audrey started to run so that he didn't get away. For some reason he was the trigger and she needed him.

"Wait," Audrey cried, running across the street after him, her chocolate hair billowing behind her. "Hey, you dropped something!" At this the man turned around, confusion rising as he saw her behind him, face red and desperate. "Sorry, you didn't drop anything," she said, putting out a hand to stop him in case he tried to leave.

The man, however, seemed to be highly amused by her display and gave a huge smile. "It's absolutely fine. Beautiful day don't you think," he said cheerfully despite the pouring rain. "Great conditions but I hope tomorrow is slightly less wet because I need to perform well in my stamina test; don't want the rain getting me down."

Audrey stood, surprised at how well he took her interference and how easy it was for him to make conversation with a complete stranger. He continued to blabber on about the weather and tests but she was very distracted. Audrey's eyes scraped past the blue eyes and the fantastic head of light brown hair and looked down at his shirt, a plain red T-shirt, and her eyes fixed upon the big, green rosette fastened over the chest pocket.

"Where-?" she began, swallowing her excitement. "Where did you get that?"

The man peered down and noticed his clothing. He switched back to her eyes and his face broke out in recognition. "Did you go there too?"

"Where?"

"The Quidditch World Cup," he whispered.

Audrey stared at him. "Quidditch?" He nodded.

Suddenly it felt as though something had exploded inside her head. A thousand memories came flooding back. Stadium, fear, Enid, muggles, attack, magic, Percy and his brothers. Her eyes widened and she took an involuntary step backwards.

"I remember," she said, breathing heavily. "I REMEMBER!" she shouted causing passers-by to look at her sideways. "Thank you," she said earnestly, stepping forward and engulfing the stranger in a hug putting all her frustration and anger to the side.

"Your- … your welcome?" he said, baffled. He gently pushed her away and Audrey muttered a quick apology, too relieved to care. "I don't mind when pretty girls hug me," he said, grinning lightly. "I just think we should be introduced first, I'm Oliver, Oliver Wood."

"Audrey Williams," she replied, shaking his outstretched hand. "I hope you don't mind me asking but are you a wizard?"

Oliver let out a hearty chuckle. "Well do I look like a witch to you?" he asked.

"No," said Audrey. She told herself off for asking such a stupid question.

"This might be moving a bit fast but would you like to come for dinner? It's not every day I run into a girl like you," said Oliver, offering a bold arm.

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls," said Audrey, taking his arm, feeling a little reckless. "And I'm not always that weird, I just had a mental blank for a minute."

They walked off, talking about random things that kept them fairly entertained.

* * *

Half-an-hour later Audrey was sitting in Oliver's little kitchen in his small apartment. It was surprisingly clean considering it was owned by an eighteen-year-old boy. The shelves were all a light blue colour while all the plates and door knobs were yellow; taking into account the sheer number of plants in such a tiny space, it was a very homely and bright atmosphere.

"I'm a muggle," Audrey blurted out in the middle of a conversation about broomstick brands. "Just so you know."

"I realised," replied Oliver brightly, cutting up carrots and chucking them into a pot.

Audrey's stomach dropped, wondering if he would be like Percy. "When?"

"Somewhere between 'Quidditch?' and 'Are you a wizard?'"

"Are you going to wipe my memory?" she asked, her legs tensing, ready to run at the slightest notion he would do so.

"Nah, I don't care too much for that ministry waffle, I prefer to let things fall into place as they come," he said casually, smiling slightly. "Except for Quidditch," he added thoughtfully, swirling the contents of their meal.

"Naturally," replied Audrey, already knowing how much Oliver was obsessed with the sport that was played on broomsticks with four balls and seven players on two teams. It sounded very fun, albeit confusing; she especially liked the flying part.

Oliver set down his wand as though something had just occurred to him. He looked at her curiously and said, "You said you remembered something and now you're scared that I'm going to make you lose your memories. Who wiped your memories last time?"

"Someone named Percy Weasley," said Audrey, seeing Oliver's raised eyebrows she continued, "You know him?"

"He's a friend, I actually thought he'd be better than that," said Oliver, frowning. "He might be coming to dinner but I can-"

"No!" said Audrey quickly, surprised at this sudden turn of events. "I- I want to see him."

Oliver nodded and they both returned to thinking over the information they'd just been given.

A few moments later Oliver interrupted the silence. "Ahh," he observed, hearing the footsteps outside the door. "This should be Percy now."

Audrey nodded, not knowing how she would react when the door opened. Would she yell? Resort to violence? Embrace him? The choices where running franticly through her head and she sat, rigid with anticipation as the lock clicked.

"Wood," Percy called from the small entryway, setting his bag down on the table. "To whom does this hat belong to? If it's one of your endeavours I would rather be warned before I venture any further into this house."

Oliver tried not to laugh, shrugging his shoulders at Audrey's narrowed eyes. "It's fine Percy." They heard him sigh in relief and walk towards the kitchen door.

"Well good because I don't want another situation where-," he stopped in his tracks, staring at the girl sitting so casually in Oliver's kitchen. "ARGH!" he yelled, stepping back in a rush, tripping on his robes and falling into the hallway.

The other two ran forward and helped him back up. "You alright?" asked Audrey, grinning slightly at the awkward wizard.

"Wha-? Wood? I- … I can't. What?" Percy stood there, spluttering, gesturing at Audrey. He took a deep breath and said in a voice of forced calm. "Wood, why is there a muggle in your apartment?"

"Oh Audrey here?" asked Oliver, pretending to be surprised at his question. "She's just dropping in, wondering how you've been."

Percy scowled and turned his gaze at Audrey who was still frowning at being referred to as 'muggle'. "Why are you-? No. _How_ are you here?"

"You probably didn't focus enough when you cast the spell," said Oliver, patting his friend on the back. "Don't worry Perce, happens to the best of us."

"I-," started Percy in his defence but he stopped when he saw Audrey's angry stare.

"You promised," she said in a voice filled with hurt.

Percy gulped and cast his brown eyes around the room around the room, anywhere but the girl. He seemed to come to a realisation and turned back to her. "I never promised, we made a deal, nothing more," said Percy and Audrey wasn't the only one to frown at this; Oliver shook his head disappointedly and went back to the stove.

"You're missing the point, Percy," he said.

The kitchen lapsed into an awkward silence. Oliver began to mutter a random tune under his breath that did not fit into any music category Audrey was familiar with, Percy moved towards the small table and sat down, removing his glasses and placing his head tiredly into his hands, and Audrey stayed standing, leaning against the island and fiddling with her necklace absentmindedly, admiring the way the soup stirred itself.

She felt someone's gaze on her and looked back at Percy who was watching her carefully.

"So, er …" she began, searching around for a suitable topic that didn't concern memories or magic. "Do you stay here often?" Audrey asked, directing the question at the observing boy.

"Pretty often," replied Oliver once it was ascertained Percy wasn't talking. "He comes here if he stays late at work. Comes in, gets dinner, leaves."

"That _leech_ ," said Audrey in a horrified voice, grinning at Percy's affronted expression.

"I know," agreed Oliver whole-heartedly, cheerfully ignoring his friends renewed splutters.

And all at once, the pause on conversation had been lifted and even Percy started to talk with them. Oliver set down the soup and served it out, Audrey smiling at the fact that they hadn't made her do anything despite her offers; true gentlemen.

"So what's the magical world like?" asked Audrey, soaking a slice of bread with the contents of her bowl.

"Different," said Percy at the same time Oliver said, "Fucking amazing."

Audrey laughed and continued, "But, like, how does your society differ from mine, assuming you know a lot about … _muggles_."

Over the next hour they talked about many things including family, friends and incredible sounding things like Hogwarts and dragons and the Ministry. Audrey told them about her father and what muggle school was like. She spent about seven minutes trying to explain to the best of her ability how a lightbulb worked; trying hard to recall her year 8 physics class.

When the table was cleared it was a warm and comfortable silence that filled the little flat. Audrey smiled at Percy as he passed her the last plate to be dried and put away by Oliver. "I forgive you," she said quietly but sincerely.

"Thank you," he replied in the same fashion. It looked like a substantial weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I suppose I don't have to beg now. That would have been mortifying."

"Yes, pride is very important," said Audrey seriously.

They migrated to the lounge across the hall and sat themselves down, Audrey sitting down on the couch only for Oliver to lie down and put his head in her lap. It was strange being with the two boys, they had only been together for a short time but she felt comfortable with them like she did with Lina and Ethan except here, the friendship felt spontaneous and exciting and new.

Audrey looked around at the small room. There was no television, no electricity, no telephone but somehow, the room still managed to be amazing. The pictures were _moving_ , there were floating candles to give light, a feathered quill was writing by itself and many other things that captured Audrey's interest and made her smile. Her attention turned to Percy who was sitting in an armchair, reading a huge book that was titled 'Wizards in Power: Best Strategies to Assert Oneself'. He was sitting straight, head bowed to read and his glasses kept slipping down his nose. He was an active reader, nodding at some statements and frowning at others; at one point he scoffed and turned the page irritably, running an irritated hand through his flaming red hair.

He looked up and caught her watching him. They both smiled, blushing slightly and went back to their previous activities.

Being careful not to wake the now slumbering Oliver, Audrey rose and walked towards the mantel piece that held many pictures displaying scenes of happy teenagers in front of a huge castle, a warm room full of red and gold, many broomsticks, an older couple who could only be Oliver's parents, and a relatively new picture showing the beautiful field in which the stadium was. She stared at one picture that showed a group of seven people dressed in scarlet robes with the most ecstatic faces Audrey had ever seen. They waved and she waved back, smiling sadly at the whole idea of it.

Someone shifted behind her and Audrey looked to her right to see Percy looking curiously at the pictures as well. "Moving pictures?" he inquired as to what she was interested in.

"Yeah, you don't see many of those in the muggle world," replied Audrey, once again giving a half-smile.

"You don't look too chuffed about it."

"No, but I like it that way."

"You like being sad?" asked Percy, disbelief etched across his face.

Audrey tilted her head as she tried to think of an answer. "It's like … happy, for deep people," she said finally.

"I don't believe I understand," said Percy.

"Well sometimes I'll go back and read the most gut-wrenching chapter in my favourite books just because it is at those moments when we develop a deep attachment to the characters. It's so sad that I get addicted to the feeling and knowing the character lived beyond their final moments. These pictures are sad because these people in the photographs don't exist anymore; they've changed. Also, this world is so unattainable to me that I am sad I was never part of it," said Audrey.

Percy seemed to contemplate this for a few moments, "Muggle are different to what I expected."

"Better?" asked Audrey, grinning.

"Stranger," he replied, chuckling at her raised eyebrows.

"I'm not! Well, maybe I am but every person is different whether they be muggle or wizard," said Audrey defensively. The clock in the corner chimed and she was startled to see that it was already ten o'clock. "I'd better get home, it's an hour's journey."

"I can take you," said Percy, forehead creasing in concern at the thought of the late hour.

"No it's fine, I know my way around and I'm a black belt at karate," she said, picking up her bag. "Or at least that's what I'll tell whoever dares attack me. Scare them off."

Percy nodded and looked at the still snoring Oliver. "I won't wake him, he's been on a permanent euphoria since the Quidditch cup, attack or no attack."

"Good idea."

They walked to the door and Audrey bid him goodbye, walking out the door. Percy spotted her hat on the table and smiled at her forgetfulness. A few seconds later she walked back into the apartment with a distracted hand on her naked head.

"Hat," she said obviously, pointing to the object in question. He handed it to her, smiling at her flushed cheeks. "I swear I'll have Alzheimer's by the time I'm thirty."

After she explained what she meant by that statement, Percy said, "These things you say- I think I'll learn many things from you Ms Williams."

"It's about ruddy time," said Audrey, recovering from her lapse in memory and smiling at the role-reversal. "And its Audrey."

"Well then Audrey," said Percy, amusement flashing across his eyes. "It has been very nice to meet you again."

"You too," she replied. The door closed behind her as she walked outside, smelling the fresh paint decorating the walls either side of her. She stood in the same place for a few minutes, trying to work out what was making her smile so much. Well, she _had_ just discovered magic."

Percy stood, head bowed in thought as he pondered the reason for that little feeling in his chest. Well, he _had_ performed well in his presentation at work that day; nothing more, nothing less.

They went their separate ways both knowing that they would meet for a third time.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Any comments are welcome and appreciated!


	5. Restrained Revelation

**Authors Note:** It's a longer one, yay! I apologise for the book's I name; some people might not understand the references.

Thank you to everyone who has taken interest in this story – it makes me smile.

 **Disclaimer:** If J.K. Rowling were writing this story it'd be better.

* * *

" _It is absolutely okay with me if you need to keep some secrets._

 _I've been thinking about this and I decided that a best friend is someone who,_

 _when they don't understand, they still understand."_

 **-Nancy Werlin**

* * *

Audrey stepped off the bus like she always did. She brushed her hair out of her face as usual. Her step felt familiar as she walked the battered footpath to the house with the brown door and forest green walls; named fittingly by the three of them as 'The Treehouse' when they were about six years old. Her hand reached up to knock on the door, ignoring the doorbell (it was one of those things they had always intended to fix), and tapped a little rhythm on the wood like she had the other hundred times.

But something felt different. Something felt so surreal standing on the front porch of her best friends' house seven weeks after the most life-changing discovery she would ever make.

Magic was real.

And she couldn't tell anyone.

"Hello," cried Mrs. Ross as she opened the door. "You're rather late you know," she added, placing her hands on her hips, "dinner's almost ready!"

"And I apologise from the bottom of my heart," needled Audrey, smiling at her familiar antics.

Mrs. Ross laughed and stood back to let the girl inside her house. Audrey crossed the threshold to be met with a mop of blond hair obscuring her vision.

"You came! You came!" squealed Lina, slowly restricting her friend's breathing capacity. "I was about to ring, I thought you had forgotten again."

"I only forgot once," replied Audrey defensively, gently pushing Lina away.

Ethan walked into the hall and heard the last point. "We've gone over this, you have forgotten nearly every year but you have always been saved by our mother," he shot the greying lady an accusing glare, "or some other lucky chance."

"Do you want presents or not?" said Audrey, raising an eyebrow as she led the way to the kitchen, hoisting a bag onto the table.

"I guess we can lay off for a bit," sighed Ethan.

"It won't be as fun though," agreed Lina, already digging through the bag. "Oh, it's big!"

"Bigger is better, right?"

The boy, who was not as obsessed with material possessions came to stand next to Audrey against the kitchen counter. "You alright? You seem a bit confused."

"Oh yeah," said Audrey hurriedly, recovering her beaming smile. "I was just thinking …"

"About what?"

"Oh, you know … work and stuff," replied Audrey, abandoning the conversation quickly before she felt guilty. She crossed to the small table and sat down, watching absentmindedly as Lina unwrapped an ornate dress they had seen together whilst shopping and matching jewellery. It seemed unfair, in some regards, that she had been the one to learn of magic. Should it have be Ethan? Who spent half of his childhood calling himself Frodo and running around with a wooden sword and his 'companions'; a rake, a shovel, and one of Lina's dolls?

Or maybe it should have been Lina? Audrey could not remember a time when the two of them weren't curled up on the red couch together reading their favourite books, legs wrapped together for warmth. It had always been Alice in Wonderland for Lina and Little Women for Audrey, although, contrary to their personalities, Lina was much more faithful with her favourite books. Audrey had dabbled in Jane Eyre, Anne of Green Gables, and Joan of Arc because she always liked the female leads. Afternoons of their childhood would be spent uncovering new worlds; whether it be at the bottom of the ocean or in the clouds it was always magical and brilliant. Lina discovered the afternoons adventure and Audrey made it better, rebelling against reality. These games grew into a lifeboat throughout the darkest period in Audrey's life and now they were real. But only for her.

"Hey," said Lina, pulling Audrey from her reflection. "This is amazing, thank you." She held up the dress and spun around. "I'll wear this when you get married."

"Why wait till then?" asked Audrey. "You might be waiting a while, we're only eighteen."

Lina's smile faltered for a few seconds before coming back in full force. Audrey's brow knitted in confusion; Lina wasn't unhappy unless there was good reason but she didn't think she had said anything to cause such a reaction.

"It's alright we're back!" exclaimed a deep voice from the front door. Audrey poked her head into the hallway to see Lina's boyfriend, Ben, come through with five grocery bags closely followed by Michelle, Ethan's partner, who had presumably accompanied him on his shopping trip.

Ben was on the short side with thick curly black hair and a big nose. He had been quite the practical joker in school, pulling Lina's hair in their early teens but by the end of high school he had been inventing suitors for the small girl. He made quite the turnaround only a couple of months before when he had declared his love for Lina on their last day of school and, to Audrey's astonishment, instantly received forgiveness.

Michelle, on the other hand, had hardly ever interacted with them as she had attended the private girls school on the hill. She was the very epitome of a posh, English, well-bred girl. In their tenth year, however, she had taken a liking to Ethan and they had been together ever since.

Audrey loved them both, even though Ben put beetles in her handbag and Michelle was too clingy. They were her family and she had grown very fond of them all.

"So what have we got here?" she questioned, peering into one of the bags. "That's a lot of alcohol."

"We have a lot of people," replied Ben, taking the knife from an assisting Lina as he had yet to navigate the kitchen.

The girl placed her hands on her hips and dramatically counted the number of people in the room. "Well that's five, unless you include Mr. and Mrs. Ross and, as I recall, they don't drink."

"Well …" Ben deliberated, waving the knife airily causing the matriarch to pull it forcefully out of his hands, "two birthdays right? Double celebration."

Audrey chuckled and started to help set the table as was always her job at the Ross household. The plates were hand painted by the twins before she had met them and they were starting to fade.

"We're so old now," she said suddenly, causing the others in the room to laugh and Ethan threw a brotherly arm around her shoulders.

"At least we're old together."

Dinner was ready in another fifteen minutes during which time they all crowded the kitchen, bumping into each other and Ben creating widespread fear with his neglect of sharp-object safety. Audrey told off Lina because she kissed him every time he nearly speared her which Audrey thought was a bit unfriendly towards her _best_ friend.

Eventually, everyone took a place outside enjoying the slightly cool evening as they passed around blankets to keep warm.

"What have you been doing lately, Audrey?" asked Michelle curiously. "We've only seen you twice in the past few weeks."

"I've been busy with uni and dad's got all these new books that he wants me to sort so that took a couple of days. Why do you ask?" replied Audrey. Her answer was truthful, university was much harder than she had previously thought and her dad regularly asked for her assistance but her life had another component now.

After that night at Oliver Wood's flat, Audrey had woken to find a pile of books on her bedside table. They were labelled with titles like, ' _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi', 'Extreme Incantations', 'Defensive Magical Theory', 'Book of Spells', 'Unfogging The Future'_ , and there was even a book by someone called Gilderoy Lockhart which had a small note inside the cover saying ' _An idiot, but a good read'_. Audrey particularly liked ' _A History of Magic'_ and ' _Notable Magical Names of Our Time'_.

This is what she had been doing with her time; converting her brain into a sponge and forsaking everything she knew to delve into the world that completely owned her interests.

The best part was, when her father had come into her room to have one of his chats he thought the books were of the inappropriate kind and retreated back into his own life instead of meddling in hers. Audrey strongly suspected Percy had been responsible for the books but Oliver was the one who did the spell on them.

She hadn't seen Percy since their last meeting and her reading material was dwindling in size. The problem was, Audrey had no time to go back to London so she had to wait until he had enough time to come to her.

"What if we go to Italy?" Lina was saying as Audrey returned from her pondering. "It ought to be lovely in summer and we can rent a house for a week or so."

"Or Greece," added her boyfriend, sneaking a hand around her waist. "I have some family there so we wouldn't have to pay as much."

"You know I've lived here all my life and I've never been to Paris," said Audrey thoughtfully. "It's easy enough to go we just never had the money."

Michelle sat up straighter to make her point. "I like the sound of that. Summer in Paris …" she said, letting the words settle in the air. "It even sounds amazing."

"It's a great idea but you're forgetting there's three students here, one trainee nurse, and you, who's just got a minor job at a fashion agency," said Ethan, gesturing around at them all. "I think we need to focus on money."

"It's nice to know I'm actually richer than you all," said Lina happily. "In school I used to buy too much stuff but I'm the only one who's actually in a career that's not stupid."

They all started hitting her with the multi-coloured pillows that adorned the seats. Lina giggled underneath Audrey as she had flopped on top of her, worn out by the exhausting ordeal that was lifting a pillow.

"One day we'll see the world," she said, resting her head on Lina's shoulder. They both ignored Ben's protests as he was trapped beneath them, drawing out their hug for as long as possible to torture him.

"What's the time?" asked Ethan to no one in particular.

"Half past ten," replied Michelle automatically.

With a loud groan, Audrey sat up where she was, feeling the biting breeze hitting her newly exposed face. "I'd better go," she remarked, standing up and stretching. "I have so much work to do it's not funny."

"Ha ha," Lina said, deadpanned, as the others started to giggle at the sceptical expression Audrey was wearing.

"Fix your laugh, it's disturbing," she said. "Anyway, I do have to go, er … I don't know if I can stay the whole night next Saturday but I'll see what happens."

They all waved and the twins thanked her for coming but it came out as 'thank you for remembering' and the other two urged her to collect more beetles ('You do such a great job but I won't divulge their use,' said Ben) and get a manicure ('About three on Sunday, fantastic,' said Michelle.) respectively.

"See you later," said Audrey, extracting herself from Lina's embrace for the second time that night. She walked back into the house, collected her bag and coat and took one last look at her friends all laughing at a joke Ethan had just made. She really did love them but she could never tell them her most fantastic secret.

The most beautiful secrets felt the most horrid to keep. She didn't deserve what she had been given.

* * *

Audrey looked back over her shoulder for what felt like the twentienth time that night. The night was as black as ink except for the circular splotches of yellow light under each streetlamp. It was curious because Audrey had never been afraid of the dark but there was just something … a certain feeling like someone lay just beyond the light, hidden in the shadows.

She shook her head firmly, taking a deep breath. People rarely got attacked in the area; she just had to look confident and her paranoia wasn't helping. Audrey breathed in the scent of wood smoke and flowers; a strange but familiar smell owing itself to Richard Greymount who always was having a bonfire, and Mrs Poggit's garden which soaked everything in a sweet sort of stench. Perfume had never been big around the neighbourhood. She started to relax, feeling quite safe in her home.

Just as she had turned her mind back to reciting facts in her head, Audrey heard a scraping sound from behind her and whirled around to look probingly at the last lamp post. No one was there and her rapid breathing slowed; she wished she had one of those fancy new mobile phones to call her dad but it seemed like an awful waste of money.

"Hello," Audrey whispered softly, calling out to the shifting shadows. When there was no response she turned back down the footpath, this time continuing to peer over her shoulder at the darkness enveloping her trodden track. Her heart raced in her chest as the fear of the unknown began to seep into her muscles, causing her to press her back against the nearest tree so there was nothing behind her.

Once in the position Audrey kept a sharp eye all around her, trying to ascertain whether she was overreacting. She glanced at the darkest shadow a few feet into the park directly in front of her; her breath caught in her throat as she saw a flash of white and Audrey quickly ran around the tree, crossing the deserted road to be on the side with the houses. She pushed her back into a black iron fence and watched her surroundings closely still.

Something tickled the back of her neck and she jumped, terrified tears appearing in her eyes as she went to face the offender before a cold hand reached out of the darkness behind her and forcefully turned her back around. Without thinking, Audrey's fear built up to a climax and she screamed, yanking her arm away from the man who had touched her who had cold skin, glasses, and bright red hair.

Audrey stopped in her tracks and slowly turned back around to face Percy Weasley.

"Ms Will-, Audrey?" he asked in a concerned voice. "Are you alright?"

"Er … I-, what are you-? I can't …" Audrey stuttered as she stumbled backwards over her small heels. Percy quickly grabbed her hand and straightened her, supporting her body while it returned to a calmer state. "Were you following me?" she finally managed to say.

Percy's brow furrowed and he placed a testing hand to her forehead. "No, I was going to visit you but you weren't home so I apparated here," he said, seemingly satisfied that she wasn't running some kind of fever. "Is there a reason for your interest?"

"I would have thought you'd say 'is there a reason you screamed bloody murder' but I guess you're being polite," said Audrey. "I just was scared of the dark I suppose."

"A natural fear," said Percy, beginning to guide the girl in the direction of her house. "Someone like you should always be a little afraid of dark laneways."

Audrey raised her eyebrows and turned to him. "Someone like me?"

"Yes, you are a young woman and sometimes the world is just not safe," said Percy pompously.

"But why _should_ I be scared?" Audrey retorted, an annoyed tone in her voice. "The world shouldn't be a place to live in fear if genetics hated you."

"Fear can often be useful in tricky situations."

"But if you embrace that there are certain times to be scared I don't have to continue looking over my shoulder!"

"But-," Percy began but closed his mouth at Audrey's tempered glare.

They quietened and Audrey realised they had only met each other twice and hadn't seen one another in seven weeks, yet they were already bickering over something childish. It was strange to argue with someone, rarely did she fight; preferring to be the peacekeeper or to ignore and walk away.

"Are you coming at all?" asked Percy, already halfway up the road. Audrey trailed behind him, speeding up when he stopped to wait for her to catch up. "Audrey are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm sure, I just need to sleep," she said. They walked a few more moments in silence before a previous question occurred to her. "Why are you here, specifically?"

"I was in my office today at the Ministry," started Percy, looking questioningly at Audrey who nodded to show she understood the reference, "and Mr Crouch came in and told me I could have Saturday off."

Audrey's confusion was apparent on her face as she replied, "That's great?"

"Oh, I haven't had a Saturday to myself in weeks, it's been hectic," he clarified.

"Because of the attack at the World Cup?" asked Audrey, feeling proud of herself when Percy nodded.

"Those horrific events don't usually occur in our society, I do wish you had discovered magic in a more subdued way but somehow," he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "I don't think my world would have generated the same interest for you if that had happened. You seem to like adventure," he added at her narrowed eyes.

Her mouth tilted into a thoughtful frown. "What makes you say that?"

"You stayed during the fight, you helped out a little girl, you spoke to someone you didn't know, you then escaped from me and tried to find out more information and then when I-, well, when you lost your memory you went to London with no logical thought and started to search," said Percy.

"I guess when you put it like that," said Audrey. "But you're avoiding the question."

Percy shook his head. "You continued to distract me," he said, lips twitching as Audrey pinched his arm. "I thought I could show you something else in the magical world, if you're up for it? I imagined you're already involved so you might as well know everything as long as-."

"We keep it a secret," Audrey finished. "I know. But that sounds great, what am I going to be seeing?"

"A little street with lots of magical stores on it. It's quite stimulating."

"Do you go there often?"

A nostalgic look flitted across the tall boy's eyes as he thought upon his answer. "I've been going there for years. I missed it this time because I had no reason to go - I've finished at Hogwarts. But, I suppose- … I suppose I do miss the old street from time to time," he said as though it was a horrendous crime to say it out loud.

"That's beautiful," said Audrey, slipping an arm through his. "It's where your magical journey begun, no wonder you missed it. You've never had closure."

"Closure?"

"Yeah, you need to end your schooling where you initiated it, like a circle."

Percy sighed, "I'm going to have to disagree with you Miss- … Audrey. I've never been a fan of circles."

"Are you more of a line man?" Audrey questioned, lips twitching.

"Perhaps. I have never pondered the contours of my life," replied Percy.

Audrey nodded knowingly. "I understand, sometimes my life seems like a toddler has mapped it out; drawing furiously in every direction. And I don't even know what they were thinking when I discovered magic; the kid must have gone 'fuck it' and changed colours."

"I don't understand the analogy." Percy looked down at her, eyebrows raised.

"You've never felt like life is out to get you?" asked Audrey incredulously.

"No, I know exactly where I'm going."

"Well I envy you," said Audrey, reaching for her gate which loomed out of the gloom. "And thanks for walking me home, I hope I was better company than last time you did it."

She smiled at Percy's reddened ears as he recognised her indication. "Audrey I apologise again for-."

"I was just teasing, Percy," she said. "I forgave you remember? It's under the rug."

"Oh, right," said an awkward Percy. "I'll be here around ten tomorrow morning?"

"Can't wait," Audrey replied, opening the front door to her home and walking into the warm atmosphere. Once she heard the soft click she let out a pent-up sigh from her brief meeting with Percy. She really didn't know what to think of him he could be sweet but he was also quite pompous and Audrey didn't know whether that was what she liked.

And someone had been following her. She would defend that in front of a court.

* * *

"Dad!" shouted Audrey, running down the stairs whilst hastily pinning back strands of her hair, pins flowing out of her mouth. "Have you seen my brown shoes?"

Her father's head poked out of the study next door to the kitchen. "What shoes?"

"You know the ones that look like this," said Audrey, using her hands to recreate the design of her boots to no prevail. At his confused expression she groaned; it was times like this she really missed her mother.

"Have you checked your room?" asked Gerard bemusedly.

"Obviously," replied Audrey. It was one of those annoying questions that parents always ask; _of course_ she checked her room.

Gerard's brow crinkled in confusion and he said, "What's the rush? It's Saturday."

"I'm going on a date," said Audrey, "of sorts. Not a date a … meeting? No, that doesn't sound right."

"Well, I hope you figure it out, you don't seem sure enough for me to be protective," said her father.

The television increased in volume and her father's head whipped back to his prior concentration yelling at the 'bastard' referee. His daughter exhaled and resumed her hurried scamper around the lower level.

Roughly five minutes later she was hanging over the back of the couch with her arms dangling out of reach of the laces that seemed to be teasing her. She had a vague memory of throwing them there after a rough day. Audrey had just decided that it wasn't the most efficient way to collect her shoes when someone cleared their throat behind her.

"I hope I'm not intruding, the door was open," said a familiar voice. Audrey straightened her body and faced him, aware that her hair was a mess and her gloves and socks were mismatching – not to mention the position he'd found her in.

"Oh, no it's fine," replied Audrey airily to distract from her red face. "People come and go all the time it's like Kings Cross!"

Percy smiled at the reference and offered a hand to help her down from the seat where she had been perched. "I am curious, however, as to why you were positioned so … oddly."

"I was looking for my shoes, nasty little things," said Audrey, gesturing to the couch.

"Would you mind terribly if I retrieved them for you?" asked Percy and, as she watched with wide eyes, he tentatively retrieved his wand from his pocket and waved it in the direction of the sofa. The sound of something dislodging itself was heard before a pair of tan boots flew out from underneath and placed themselves in Audrey's outstretched arms.

"How on earth did you do that?" she whispered reverently. Percy smiled again at her expression but hastily shoved his wand out of sight as Gerard walked into the room from the kitchen. The man gave him a onceover and Audrey saw Percy stiffen before her father shook his hand and returned to the game.

Recovering from this, Percy turned to Audrey who still wore the same stunned look, cradling her shoes in her arms. "Diagon Alley may be a magical place but I assure you, the same rules apply when it come to the necessity of covered feet." Audrey smiled and rolled her eyes but complied to his request. She tugged on the laces once more and they were off, bidding farewell to her father who was too absorbed to do anything other than wave.

"So …" started Audrey once they had picked up a good pace going down her street, "how are we going to get to London?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to arrive the muggle way," said Percy, looking at Audrey's crestfallen face. "Unless you are acceptable to a few moments of extremely uncomfortableness."

Audrey eyed him warily. "Uncomfortable how?"

"It will feel as though you're being compressed and thrust into a tight tunnel."

"Well," began Audrey, "I think I'm up for it. And anyway, I'd be uncomfortable the muggle way as well … I always end up sitting next to someone loud or smelly."

Percy crinkled his nose in sympathy and said, "Apparating it is. We just have to go somewhere we won't be seen by prying neighbours."

"There's a park up here where you found me last night. We could go in the bathroom," said Audrey.

"Bathroom!" exclaimed Percy. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that no one would see us. Honestly Percy, it's not as though we're going to do anything in there, we'll just go in and apparate," said Audrey, trying to hide her laughter.

His nose pointed upwards at her words. "I can't go into a girl's bathroom."

"Well I refuse to go into the males one so we're at an impasse," replied Audrey as they reached their destination. "Have you had a bad experience?"

"No," said Percy. "I once discovered my brother and his friends in a girl's bathroom together but that's neither here nor there. Rules are put in place to be followed."

"But sometimes we have to decide which rules are worth our time," said Audrey and before he could protest she shoved him ahead of her into the public toilet.

If Percy had been reluctant before he was adamant now. " _This_ is the girls room, I thought you lot were meant to be clean."

"First, this is a _public_ bathroom. Second, never listen to stereotypes; I bet your room is immaculate compared to mine," she stated. They looked around their dim surroundings with distaste but Audrey shook her head and faced her companion. "What do we have to do?"

"Just hold on," replied Percy, holding out his arm. She clasped it timidly and waited for the eventual 'uncomfortableness'.

* * *

Percy certainly was not lying; it felt like all of her insides were being modified whilst being forcefully squeezed into a tiny cylindrical pipe. By the time her feet had touched solid ground again she immediately fell to her knees and focused on her breathing so she didn't empty the contents of her stomach in what looked like a traditional English pub.

A hand tucked under her elbow and helped her rise. On her unsteady feet she observed the people around her; they were all dressed bizarrely like last time she had seen wizards but she assumed they were wearing their usual garments this time around. The fashion seemed to be long robes of varying colours patterned with little astronomical, environmental, or magical symbols paired with a tall wizard's hat. Audrey put a hand to her mouth and tried not to grin; these were literally the vision of witch's children made up when they fantasised about new places. She herself had owned a witch's hat for dress-up when she played as a little girl.

This was the closest she had been to actual wizards in their normal environment and Audrey felt the exhilaration rise up inside her like a wave. The world was so vast and wonderful.

"Do you want to go through?" Percy was already at the back door, holding it open invitingly.

"Definitely," replied Audrey. She stepped through and looked around at the dingy square of garbage bins and a brick wall. "Well, on an anticlimactic scale of one to ten I think this is about a negative three."

Percy scowled at her cheek and drew his wand, tapping it carefully onto the brickwork. The wall started to tremble and it slowly parted to reveal Diagon Alley. The shops lined a cobblestoned road overflowing merchandise filling the path with burnished broomsticks and squawking owls and gossiping flowers and … was that a human heart? Everything burst with colour and _magic_ and it made the girl feel utterly insignificant and speechless.

"On a scale of one to ten?" asked Percy, watching her with a smug smirk.

"A hundred," said Audrey breathlessly, slowly beginning to walk down the lane. "As you can see I'm fairly adept at maths."

"I am sure you can do incredible maths."

"Thank you."

Audrey, who was barely listening to their conversation, hurried over to the nearest shop window and pressed her face up against it, inhaling the marvellous smell of freshly made lollies.

"What in the world?" she said, watching a small boy floating off the ground, hand in a purple bag.

"Ah, the sweets in the wizarding world are a little different," Percy expounded. "Some cause you to float," he gestured at the boy, "some entertain by hopping around, others change your hair colour or give a mild aphrodisiac to someone. It's all in good fun … I suppose."

"You don't approve?" asked Audrey, moving to the next window and peering in at the cauldrons of all different shapes and sizes.

The bell tinkered at she went in and held the door open for her companion. "Not exactly, I do love a good chocolate frog or liquorice wand but frankly, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans are a bit too much and I don't want to feel as though I have a million frogs jumping inside my belly."

"What are Bertie Bott's Beans?"

"They come in a packet of about thirty and they are made by someone called Rodger Kane not anyone called Bertie and-." He paused, looking at Audrey's barely concealed grin. "Yes?"

"I meant what do they do," Audrey explained.

"Oh, that's simple enough, they all taste different and have strange flavours like earth and linen and grasshopper. I prefer not to spend my money on something I won't enjoy."

Audrey nodded while watching a demonstration in potion technique, admiring the sliver sheen of mist rising off the liquid. "Not a risk-taker I see, isn't that what Oliver said made a good Gryffindor?"

"Gryffindor is merely somewhere students are put when they are eleven years old. The world isn't split into four different types of people," said Percy emphatically. He softened slightly, "Do you take risks?"

"Not consciously … but, as you very well know, my curiosity often causes me to get into odd situations, nothing dangerous yet however."

"I beg to differ," said Percy, "you ran straight into the chaos several weeks ago without even thinking. I would say that's quite risky." She smiled and continued to look at the cauldrons and their insides. They had a brief tiff with the shop owner as she had given one of the potions an experimental stir and supposedly it disrupted it's 'brewing metabolism'. Percy dragged the reluctant explorer out of the door before she could answer back.

Percy sighed in relief once they were out of the shop and when Audrey questioned as to why he replied, "It's the cauldron standard in there, it's really quite depressing. Someone from the ministry needs to come down and weed out the week foreign makes before we have a market overflowing with faulty cauldrons. The standard we need to be setting is at least an inch width base and half inch walls."

"That's horrible, the incidents that could cause if someone brewed an acidic substance," Audrey agreed.

"Yes, er, I guess it is," replied Percy uncertainly.

"What?" said Audrey, unnerved by the way he was looking at her. "Have I got something on my face?"

Percy shut his mouth. "No, I mean, people- well, my family are never that interested in what I have to say. My brothers fall asleep and my mother only listens because she's my mother."

"Well that surprises me Percy because I think you are an amazingly interesting person," said Audrey, smiling at his pleased expression. She continued, wondering if anyone had actually said this to him before, "You showed me this world and anything I learn about it is a gift … a wonderful and precious joy."

"Thank you, Miss Will- Audrey," said Percy.

"You should probably keep me around because then you can rant to me anytime."

They entered the second hand bookshop and took their time browsing the shelves. Audrey noticed Percy was partial to books about how to climb the social ladder and how to become a better worker and so on. It was strange to see that someone so young already had their future planned out for themselves; it made her wonder what drove him to be so established. Next was the ice-cream parlour which surprised Audrey since it was in the muggle world as well, and they continued their journey with scoops of chocolate and strawberry flavour respectively.

Just as Audrey was about to drag an unenthusiastic Percy into the Quidditch store, a girl with platinum blond hair bounced up to them and greeted him loudly. "Percy! I haven't seen you for months how have you been? Heard you're the assistant to old Barty Crouch now, good for you!" She stopped to draw in breath before getting to what she had obviously greeted him for. "Penny's been asking for you, she's great at the moment, she's got a new boyfriend and he's delightful. Not that you weren't a good boyfriend but I just think Richard is a little more fun to be around, you know? Anyway, Penny would like to-." Her voice faded away as she realised Percy wasn't alone. Audrey raised her eyebrows at the back-handed rudeness of the girl. "Who's this?"

"I'm Audrey," she said, sticking out a hand. "Did you go to Hogwarts?"

"Yes," replied the girl stiffly. "I didn't realise you knew any other girls, Percy, or is this … _Audrey_ , a way to get back at Penny because you should know she's very happy and …" She continued talking in this insulting fashion while Audrey watched Percy's face grow steadily more scarlet with humiliation and anger.

"You're astonishingly loose with your words for someone giving second hand information," said Audrey, cutting off the girl in the middle of her tirade.

"Did I ask you for your opinion?" snapped the girl. "I believe I was having a conversation with Percy."

Audrey laughed though nothing was funny except for the girl's entitled attitude. "Tell 'Penny' to feed her own ego, don't wait for men to do it for her."

"You don't understand anything." Their faces were nearly touching now. "I'm asking you to stay within the bounds of your knowledge."

"Really?"

"You know what? Percy's only dating you because he's rebounding off Penny."

"Well can you see the 'I don't give a fuck' in my expression," retorted Audrey and with one last huff, the girl turned on her heel and stalked off down the street. "Whew," Audrey sighed. A grin flashed across her face. "That felt good."

"It was truly remarkable," said Percy, wide-eyed at the bitchy conversation he'd just witnessed. "Is that how girls usually speak to each other?"

While he was distracted she pushed him into Quality Quidditch Supplies. "No, I just can't stand people who don't care about feelings."

"That's nice of you." Percy still looked a little put-out by the chat.

"The ignorant change the facts to fit their views instead of the other way round. I'm sure none of that was true," said Audrey, laying a comforting hand on his arm. Percy nodded and they continued their sightseeing.

* * *

Two hours later they sat in the pub they arrived in which was fittingly called 'The Leaky Cauldron' discussing random topics that captured their interests.

"I don't understand Audrey, it's quite perplexing," Percy was saying as Audrey described television to him. "So there are invisible waves in the sky and you can buy them and then use them to talk to the world either on the radio or with a picture in a box?"

Audrey was about to elaborate further but stopped herself; he had a basic understanding now, no need to add different models into it. "It's not as puzzling as disappearing and reappearing over a country in a few seconds. There is absolutely no logic involved."

"But television is pointless, why would you want to sit around and watch people talk to each other?"

"Because it can be informative or funny or tear-jerking or mind-blowing it really fits anyone," said Audrey. "Although I have to say I prefer the comedies, once books are out of the equation of course."

"Why is that?" asked Percy, sipping his Butterbeer which was a delicious wizarding drink.

Audrey smiled, recollecting her memories. "My mum and I used to watch them together, dad thought they were rot, but nowadays, dad and I watch something hilarious every Sunday morning … just cause."

Percy watched her from under his glasses interestedly but did not press the topic for which Audrey was grateful. They lapsed into a comfortable silence and she took the time to watch the other occupants in the room. An elderly lady muttered to herself as she transfigured the glass in front of her into a beehive and back for which purpose Audrey didn't know. Three men by the window were in the middle of a passionate debate about Centaur rights and regulations which she found engaging. Her favourite, however, was a small child playing with a couple of sleek black rats he had just purchased but seemed a little doubtful of his choice. His face would be ecstatic then fade into bewilderment.

A thought occurred to her and she faced Percy who was now reading the wizarding newspaper. "Why did you come to my house yesterday? Why not a letter or just turn up?"

"It's always proper to deliver messages and proposals in advance and in person," said Percy in a tone that suggested he assumed the answer was clear.

"Is your family relatively formal?"

Percy snorted into his glass. "Far from it, I'm different to them but we get along alright."

"Oh," said Audrey softly. "Anyway, that rule is harder to follow when you can't evaporate around all the time."

"Apparate," he corrected.

"Same difference," replied Audrey, smirking. "Except one's a real word."

"In your world," said Percy.

Audrey chuckled and pondered through what she had seen that day and her thoughts drifted to her friends who were presumably sitting in their various homes doing the same old thing and she felt her eyes prick slightly. Her hands gripped the edge of the table as the realisations she had noticed the previous night returned with full force. She didn't deserve this.

"I'm going to the ladies," she said hastily, wiping her eyes. Audrey rose from the table across from the happily oblivious Percy and walked quickly to the bathroom where she washed her eyes, hoping the feeling of failing her friends would go away.

The door squeaked behind her as another person entered. Audrey looked up expecting to see another woman but instead saw the vivid red-hair she had grown accustomed to. "Who's in the girl's bathroom now?" she teased lightly, drawing the attention away from her red nose.

"Audrey, you don't appear to be very happy," he said and Audrey cursed her father's genes that made crying so apparent on her face. "Is this too much?"

"No, no," said Audrey quickly. "This is amazing as always, it's just … well, my friends they-."

She was cut off by Percy's sharp voice. "You didn't tell them did you?"

" _No_ ," she said, irritated by the insinuation she couldn't be trusted. "My friends have been with me ever since we were around five-years-old and we've shared so much together. We all were in love with fantasy as children and we still are very much a group of dreamers." Tears had started to build up in her eyes again. "It's- it's just hard that they'll never get to know it was real."

Percy bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"What have you got to be sorry for?" said Audrey, laughing despite herself. "I'm the one who put myself in this situation, you gave me multiple chances to never see this world again."

"I know but-," started Percy. He stopped when the girl stepped forward and embraced him, her tears leaking onto his shoulder. He had never realised she was so deeply imbedded in her friends' lives that the thought of keeping a secret from them was so unbearable.

Audrey felt Percy's muscles stiffen underneath her arms but she didn't care. She wondered if he had dealt with a crying girl before outside his family; she highly doubted it. He clumsily patted her back while he gently pushed her away. All in all, it was probably the most awkward hug either of them had received but it was comforting to know that Percy was insecure about some things.

And not until they had arrived back at her house did Audrey realise she never asked about the mysterious Penny and why they broke up. It was too late by then and she shelved the issue to bring up next time they met which she hoped would be soon.

"So when can I see the Ministry of Magic?" she asked, turning away from her house to see him off. "I want to see what you work on."

"Er …" Percy cleared his throat. "I don't know whether that will be possible. Restrictions are a lot tighter there and you are a muggle …" His voice faded off, adding more excuses to which Audrey was sure were not true.

She smiled as she thought about sneaking in herself and already began to plot her ideas. "Until next time?"

"It has been a very pleasant morning," said Percy. He reached out a hand for her to shake but Audrey stood tall and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Percy's ears went red and he bid her goodbye, walking back down the street and into the distance.

Audrey stood there for a while watching his tall frame disappear around the corner, so many questions running around her head that she found it easier to focus on the slow-moving street. Her hair whipped across her face in the afternoon breeze and she thought about her new life and the man who had given it to her.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Phew! This is the longest chapter I've ever written!

So this chapter is based somewhere around the middle of October so the Triwizard has already been announced and Percy is the only one home. I never realised it was only him and his parents during the Goblet of Fire … funny. Those issues should be coming up soon.

Reviews are greatly appreciated and loved!


	6. Discomposed

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

" _Come on, Rory! It isn't rocket science, it's just quantum physics!"_

 **-Steven Moffat**

* * *

"Are you alright up there?" called Percy from the ground. His expression was one of worried scepticism.

"You know the idea seemed smart at first but now I'm not so sure." Audrey's feet were at least 3 metres off the ground and she was attempting not to panic. A cleaning utensil was not meant to- no, not _allowed_ to fly.

Oliver rushed past her in a blur of navy and gold apparently so in love with his team he didn't even take off the robes. "Come on Audrey, get in the spirit of it. Perce, you coming up?"

"I am perfectly comfortable with both feet safely on the ground thank you," replied Percy stoutly.

"Aw, Percy, have you had a bad experience with Quidditch?" cooed Audrey.

The boy raised his eyebrows above his glasses. "I believe, considering the position you are in, it would be most hypocritical for you to ridicule me."

Audrey opened her mouth to retort but closed it again, thinking this to be an accurate statement.

"Okay, so step two," Oliver said, "grip the broom with increasing tightness the faster you want to go and lean slightly to turn so if you want to try that now-." He was cut off as Audrey screamed, having squeezed too tightly and moved about a hundred metres in a few seconds.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Oliver repeated as he rushed towards her. "You were meant to wait until I had finished."

"If you haven't noticed already, Oliver!" Audrey exclaimed loudly in the distance. "This isn't exactly my most natural habitat! I was a little nervous!"

Percy began to chuckle, thoroughly enjoying the show. "Have you reconsidered Wood's offer to teach you flying yet?"

A stubborn look appeared under the dishevelled mess of hair as Audrey trod back to wear he was sitting on foot.

Oliver, looking twice as flustered, joined her in her feelings.

"Go away Percy," they said simultaneously.

They sat in a loose triangle and began to snack on cauldron cakes; something which Audrey was very grateful to have in her life.

"Most people read the instructions to their friend _before_ they force their life into the non-existent hands of a broomstick," Audrey muttered bitterly. The other two feigned deafness and ignored her. "Anyway, I appreciate the time you've taken off work, Percy, but shouldn't you be spending it with your family?"

Percy shrugged. "I see my parents every morning and all my siblings are either attending school or off on having grand adventures."

"I guess … I just-," started Audrey.

"What?"

"Oh, you know, I just don't want to be a burden. If you want to do your own thing you can just tell me."

"We're grateful for the thought, but even though Percy seems traditional do you really think a nineteen-year-old wants to spend a spare Friday night with his parents?" said Oliver, laughing as Percy rolled his eyes.

Audrey grinned. "Well that came as a surprise to me," she said, but squealed as Percy pushed her over, the other hand turning the page of his book. He ignored the knowing look Oliver shot him.

The night air was still as they relaxed in the enclosing darkness and Audrey sighed in appreciation. It was tranquil- as though the world had frozen around them.

"You know, that was actually a good point I made," Oliver said suddenly, interrupting her peace.

"Was it now?"

"Yes."

The other two waited impatiently.

"The suspense is killing me," said Percy dryly, turning his attention away.

Audrey stared disbelievingly at Oliver who was now too wrapped up in his own world to notice her. "Spit it out!"

"Oh sorry," he said hastily, snapped out of his reverie. "I just thought we should do something young and fun."

"Like what?"

"A couple of the extras on the other teams are going to this muggle nightclub tonight. I wasn't too interested because they're my opposition-."

"And they have too much fun that isn't Quidditch," Percy said under his breath so only Audrey would hear. Audrey hid a smile behind her hand.

"but now I have you two friends to go with so it might be fun," Oliver finished. "So how about it?"

"I don't know," replied Audrey, looking uncertainly at Percy.

"It's not really my natural habitat," said Percy, copying Audrey from earlier.

Oliver raised his eyebrows. "What kind of youth are you?"

"A type that prefers getting drunk and stupid around friends than a room full of strangers." Her tone implied she thought this was obvious.

"I'm going to be there," he said indignantly. "And so is Percy!"

"Am I? Okay," remarked a disinterested Weasley.

A mischievous look crossed Oliver's face "And if someone hits on you, you can just say Percy is your boyfriend!"

Both their heads snapped up at this; Audrey's sceptical and Percy blushing but hiding it in the shadows around his face.

"Knock it off you two, it's a good plan!"

"Fine," said Audrey, throwing her hands in the air. "But Percy better be a damn good boyfriend."

In unanimous consent they all stood up and Audrey braced herself for the horrid feeling of apparition.

* * *

The room itself seemed to shake with the sheer volume of the music; the type of music that couldn't really be classified as such since it was just a baseline and some light electronica. Around the room people seemed to be in a war over who could violate the most personal space and Percy had already had to give two girls a lecture on making better life choices after they threw themselves at his skinny frame. Needless to say, he wasn't the most fun of counterparts to be with in that environment.

A curtain of brown hair became visible between a group of four dancers and he began to feel a little better about his situation.

"Hey!" Audrey yelled over the pounding beat of the music.

Percy turned with a scowl on his face. "Good evening, Audrey!"

"Why do you speak like that?" she inquired loudly.

"What!?" replied Percy. Audrey waved a hand to signal to forget about it and scanned the room. It was slightly fuzzy around the edges due to the numerous brightly coloured drinks she had already consumed.

Seeing somewhere more private, she pulled him past Oliver and a curly-haired girl he was "dancing" with. "Come over here!"

"Sometimes I hate Oliver's ideas," said Percy once they had slipped into a corner and escaped the worst of the music.

"Not having fun?"

"Are you?"

"Kind of. I asked first."

Percy shook his head ruefully at the immature argument. "It depends on your definition of fun. I am terrified of losing my possessions in my pockets and I don't appreciate the great amount of people crammed into this bloody- tiny space."

"Well, take comfort in the fact that the muggle who steals your wallet will get quite a surprise," said Audrey who found this very funny and doubled over in peals of laughter; her quirks accented by the alcohol.

Percy watched her giggle in such a dorky fashion and quelled the instinct inside of him to place a hand on her back to steady her.

Just as this thought was squashed, a broad-shouldered man approached them and offered Audrey a drink which she instantly accepted. Once it was thrown down her throat she followed the unknown man back into the main room. Not knowing why, Percy shot out a hand and grabbed her arm. She whirled around, her cheeks flushed, and shot him an innocent smile.

"N- Nothing," stuttered Percy. He couldn't correctly diagnose the tightness in his chest as he watched her figure wind through the blank-faced strangers towards the man who, in Percy's eyes, had only one goal that night.

He resigned himself to watch his two friends dance suggestively against other people. One couple bothered him a little more than the other. It was just a protective instinct, he told himself; Audrey was in his care in the magical realm but this was her world and he had to respect that.

Percy was just the guy people asked for help then discarded so they could enjoy themselves away from his dullness. As soon as this thought crossed his mind he shook his head, frowning. Torturing himself would do him no good in the future if he didn't get it under control.

In the centre of the room, Audrey was now being practically supported by the man as he kissed her neck. No, he was _not_ having her taken advantage of.

The young red-head squared his shoulders and marched over to the pair so he could gently pull her away from him.

"What the fuck!" exclaimed the man, advancing towards him. "I'm about to leave with her!"

"Look at her! She's not in her right mind!"

"Don't play the hero, I saw her first," he yelled, but was quickly pulled away by an onlooker alerted by the shouting.

Percy stared down at Audrey whose head lolled on his chest. "Come on, I'm going to get you home."

"No Percy." Audrey struggled against his arms. "I want to go back to- back to- …"

"You don't even know his name," said Percy.

"I've done my bit for good boys," she argued, looking up at him. "Now I want a bedroom set!"

"Only you could continue making jokes while flat-out drunk," Percy complained, hoisting her towards the exit. "Have your legs been chopped off!?"

Audrey shot him a guilty look and stood up, a bit wobbly but steady enough to walk with her left arm looped through his.

A few metres before the door, Percy stopped in his tracks at the sight of a petite woman standing just inside the entrance. She had short brown hair cut just above her chin and was clutching a notepad protectively to her side. Her eyes were cold and beady and scanned the room like clockwork. Audrey looked at him quizzically.

"That's one of Rita Skeeter's herd," he clarified, voice low enough so they wouldn't be heard.

"Is that a problem?" Audrey asked, her body coming alive as it prepared for danger.

Percy eyes were calculating as he measured the vulnerability of their situation. "It is for you," he said ominously.

Audrey squinted, trying to focus on something other than the room swirling around her. "What are you going to-?" But before she could finish Percy grabbed her hand and linked his fingers through hers, guiding her straight towards the danger.

"Hello there, er … Megan!" he said over the pounding music. Somewhere in her clouded brain, Audrey was impressed at how he remembered her name, being only in his first year at the Ministry. "What brings you here?"

"What are you doing?" hissed Audrey.

"Just play along," he replied before raising his voice again. "Good reporting tonight? Has Fudge's niece stepped out of her house? Who's splitting up now? Whose heart is broken?"

The young woman had a smug look on her face as she spoke, "Actually, I'm here to see if the cheating in politics is repeated in their personal lives."

"W-Why would you come here then?" Audrey slurred.

"Mr Weasley is here, and in a most compromising position," she said knowingly.

Percy caught on before his companion and a look of realisation spread across his features. "I see the confusion … Megan, Miss Clearwater and I ended things a few months ago and this lovely lady and I are just old friends."

"Just friends?" said the journalist, a perfectly manicured eyebrow lifting. "Let's see what my readers think of that shall we? What's her name?" Percy hesitated at this. To tell her would be to say she was a muggle and if that became a big deal the Ministry have to question his loyalty to the Statute of Secrecy to keep up appearances. "Well," Megan continued, "if you're just friends I can say she was there for you after your horrific break up with the newest hire at the Foreign Affairs Office."

Seeing Percy was frozen at the interrogation, Audrey searched frantically behind her cool façade to find a name that was real, just enough to get out …

"Oliver Wood," she blurted out, regretting her words instantly. "Th-that's my name," she continued, trying to cover her mistake.

Percy looked somewhere between despair and hysteria as he tried to keep his voice steady. "We'll just be off if you don't mind, Megan. The night is young and I must take my friend out of this godforsaken club and find something more stimulating to do with her."

His face flushed red as they hurried past the reporter and out into the cool air in the alleyway. They walked a few steps away from the door before resting their tired forms against each wall, facing each other.

"Who knew your fancy long words would backfire one day," said Audrey, sticking her own hand in the air to accentuate her point.

"I didn't mean what you're thinking I was just … too caught up in my mind to pay much attention to what I was saying," Percy said, still red.

Audrey placed a seductive look on her face. "Well you better be careful, Percy," she said in a low tone, barely audible above the sounds of the night. "Or someone," she took a step towards him, "might get the wrong idea."

His breath hitched in his throat as she pressed her body against his; sweat clinging to the arc of her neck, skin so perfect he just wanted to reach out and touch it. She smelt like Christmas; of nutmeg and pine and all matter of warm things. "What are you doing?" he said, forcing his voice back down to its normal register.

"Oh?" remarked Audrey. "I'm just wondering how you're planning to _stimulate_ me tonight …"

"Let's put that behind us," he said, resisting his urges to move his face forwards a few inches and instead pushing her carefully off him. "You have been drinking and are not in your right mind."

"Percy I-I know what I want," moaned Audrey, advancing forwards again and this time wrapping her arms around his neck. "And I want you," she finished, breathing the words into his ear, making his body shiver in- … No. This was not right.

"We have more pressing matter to attend to, Audrey," he said, which stopped her attempts to touch his hair so she could raise her eyebrows questioningly. "We have to find that article Megan wrote on us and burn it and possibly wipe her memory."

Audrey's eyebrows knit together in a frown. "I don't like that."

"No, neither do I but if she writes this then they might try and find out more about you and then who knows what might happen." The girl nodded in reluctant agreement and they traipsed down the rest of the way to the end of the alley so they apparate in private.

The dark eyes watching them from behind a dirty, discarded cardboard box showed only malice as they blinked once and disappeared. Information was their most valuable weapon and they would use it for complete destruction.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Sorry for the wait but I have all the chapters planned out and I'm really excited for this story. Reviews are appreciated!

Next Chapter: The pair sneak into the Ministry and Audrey finds out some unsettling facts about the world she has come to love.


	7. Seeing Pain

**Authors Note:** In response to HollieC1974, it is unknown whether Percy was still dating Penelope Clearwater but for the sake of this story he is not. Thanks for your review! Not sure about the ending of this chapter but oh well.

 **Disclaimer:** Owning Harry Potter is as likely as me being attacked by a city-dwelling dropbear.

* * *

" _For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you."_

― **Neil deGrasse Tyson**

* * *

Gerard Williams was your average single father. He took up long hours at the university as their most prestigious expert about all things on ancient societies and raised his daughter to the best of his abilities. Although the title lacked the prestige named, he knew that Audrey was proud of him. Most of her teenage years were spent sitting in the cramped little office, drinking tea made by Martha whilst chatting to the rather absent Jim about the ups and downs of her day. It was small, it was humble, it lacked any ambition or greatness.

And yet, he was there to watch his beautiful daughter grow and flourish, and if that sometimes meant he was too controlling he knew she could debate with him about it. He tried, he really did try to raise Audrey but he knew he needed Evelyn.

He needed Evelyn at that moment, as he was slouched desolately in his chair and he wondered why his daughter had not returned home. He was not with her friends and the night was getting older as he heard no sounds from the doorstep.

Gerard seeped further and further into speculation as he tried to work out where she was and always came to the same conclusion:

Audrey was with the man who had delivered her to his door unconscious all those weeks ago. And if history did anything, it repeated. Would his darling girl be delivered to his door bloodied? … Or dead? Because if that happened, Gerard would not be able to save himself. And he would not be able to spare the young man.

* * *

Audrey opened her eyes to notice her surroundings had changed drastically. Instead of the dark, murky alleyway, she was sitting in a small office with bright light coming from the ceiling. She heard shuffling near her and tilted her head down groggily to find the source.

"Percy?" she whispered.

The man in question gave a start and turned to her with a patronising look on his face. "Just wait for a moment until the potion kicks in." He crossed to the desk and sat facing her. "You certainly drank your brain right out of your ears."

Audrey didn't think this was worthy of a response so she shot him a dirty look and asked, "What happened?"

"You lost yourself for a little bit there, passed out after we apparated and I had to drag you up here," said Percy.

"You couldn't have carried me?" she said, now very aware of the bruised areas of her body.

Percy looked taken aback. "That would have been impossible."

"Why?"

"You're too heavy."

"Thanks Weasley."

"I only meant-"

"Isn't it about weight distribution or something," said Audrey whose head now felt clear and fresh. "Ethan used to carry me all the time."

"That's nice," Percy replied.

Audrey took the opportunity of silence to look around her. The office was very neat with the desk in the middle and the filing cabinets lining the wall on the right. It even went as far as the pens resting at direct right-angles to the edge of the table and no pictures that made the space personal.

"You work in an expressionless box, Percy," she commented.

"It helps me think," he replied. "Now, are you ready to go highjack the journalist's rooms?"

She frowned. "You haven't done that already?"

"I was afraid you'd wake up and be worried," he said and before Audrey could think about how sweet that was she was pushed out of the office and into the hallway.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until Audrey got bored and started to peer into the other offices.

"Wow, your department is really into the whole impersonal thing."

"Mr Crouch believes keeping reminders of family around is unprofessional and takes the edge off our work ethic," said Percy matter-of-factly.

"Ah, Mr Crouch, that wise old bugger," said Audrey. She ignored Percy's worried glance and continued to carry out her inspection.

Finally, they reached the lifts and Percy guided her in. As he reached for the buttons she told him to stop.

"What?" again shotting her a worried look.

"May I push the button?" asked Audrey, only feeling slightly ashamed at the childish request.

"You're welcome to," said Percy. "Level three."

Audrey scanned the buttons. "The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes?"

"That's the one."

She stretched out a hand and pressed it. "The journalists work there?"

"Well we couldn't put them anywhere with actual files could we?" said Percy incredulously.

"I suppose," she replied.

"The Daily Prophet has its own headquarters but we were sick of the jams in the Floo Network whenever there was news so we gave some of the reporters their own cubicle here," Percy informed. "They were going to put them on level four but I think that was a joke."

"The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?" asked Audrey, a grin forming on her face.

"Yes, I believe that was a joke," he said.

Audrey looked at him and wondered what was different. He seemed a little withdrawn compared to how they'd talked previously that night. Percy had seemed quite open, considering, and she really liked that. She smiled at the thought of his face at the club, he was so uncomfortable. Of course, that was a memory _before_ she'd started to drink. Suddenly a thought struck her and she began to bite her lip in worry. What if she'd done something to him while drunk? What if she had said something? It was quite likely considering her low tolerance levels. Of all the times to go drinking, going out with someone you were unsure about was up there with the worst ideas. Audrey wasn't sure whether Percy was serious or sarcastic, uptight or introverted, pompous or arrogant, or whether he was her friend.

He had definitely been uncomfortable when Oliver made that stupid comment about pretending to be her boyfriend. Oh god, what if her addled brain had tried to act on that? She started to panic as she looked over as Percy's rigid stance in the elevator.

 _Now Audrey_ , she told herself, _don't be an idiot_.

With these thoughts she barely registered the lifts were not going up and down but _sideways_.

They got out and began to creep along the sides of the corridors and through doorways, making not a sound.

"Why are we sneaking?" asked Audrey as they moved in front of a wide room labelled ' _Journalism_ '.

"I'm not supposed to be in here past midnight," Percy muttered.

Audrey raised her eyebrows at him in shock. "Wow."

"Pardon?"

"You really are a workaholic if you know that limit."

"It's an unwise rule designed so workers don't get paid too much overtime."

"But what about sleep?"

"You don't take such an important role in the Ministry without giving up a considerable piece of your rest," replied Percy. "Especially now."

Audrey thought for a moment. "Now? You mean those hooded people?"

"Yes."

"Who are they?"

"It doesn't matter."

"They're targeting muggles aren't they." Audrey's arms were crossed in a stance that suggested she was not budging.

Percy broke her gaze. "No, that will never happen. Our relations with our community have never been better. The Ministry has adopted a new model and has complete control."

"Alright," she said, far from letting the matter out of her mind. They stepped through the door into a wide room filled with rows of desks overflowing with parchment. The closest wall had an ink stain on it rather like it had been thrown there. It was completely silent and Audrey felt a little uneasy in the foreign atmosphere.

They went along, looking at the various desks to try and find the one with Megan's name on it. Just as they reached it they heard a clicking sound from outside.

"Hide." Percy grabbed her shoulders and whisked her under a desk just in time to see a pair of scaly green heels go by.

"Who's that?" Audrey whispered.

The red-head gave a look of open disgust. "Rita Skeeter. She would just love to catch me here. The stuck up Weasley breaking rules."

"I know the feeling. Jamie Kirk once told everyone Steve was cheating on me," said Audrey. Then she added sullenly, "Of course, he _was_ …"

Percy looked at her. "It's a bit different … my dilemma isn't as depressing."

They waited until they heard the heels depart before rising from their position. Audrey sorted through the files while he kept a lookout.

"I thought no one was meant to be here," she said.

"Skeeter says those rules are designed to keep knowledge from the people who deserve it," said Percy. "But she's really just a nosy cow."

" _Percy_!" cried Audrey in surprise. "Sorry, I just don't think I've ever heard you be rude about someone before."

The young wizard sniffed and pointed his wand at the stack of notes. A single sheet of paper flew out and into his outstretched hand.

"How did you do that?" asked Audrey. "And please don't say magic."

"But," he started uncertainly, "it _is_ magic.

"Okay … couldn't you have done that in the first place?"

Percy smiled and said, "Wait there a moment while I search the drawers. I want to find something."

The first drawer slid open silently and he began to shift through its contents. Audrey's gaze moved away from him and instead to the papers scattered on top. She picked up one at random and noticed it mentioned muggles.

"What's this?" asked Audrey.

"That's detailing the Ministry's efforts to get wizards out of the impoverished areas of the world," answered Percy disinterestedly, looking over her shoulder.

As he turned away the young woman peered closer at the curly writing sprawled unevenly across the page. "It says they're 'not enjoying the lifestyle'. What does that mean?"

"Well, they're not very happy where they've been living and we're helping them."

Audrey's brow furrowed as she tried to grasp to the information. "You-, You don't help the muggles?"

"Of course not," replied Percy, finally giving her his undivided attention. "That's against the Statue of Secrecy … you know that."

"Secrecy my arse!" she snapped before she could control the emotions brewing inside of her. She took a deep breath and tried to explain herself. "You- wizards, have _unlimited_ magic. You could be invisible or something and help them like that."

"I really don't see why you're getting so upset, Audrey. It's really none of our business-"

" _Who cares_!" Her face was growing splotchy from the barely contained anger pouring into every word. "You have the power to fix things that no one could ever _dream_ of! Do you all just sit here in your ivory tower worrying that dirt like me will discover that you can end suffering?"

"Now that's a little unfair," said Percy, puffing up to his defence.

Audrey shot him a cold smirk. "Unfair, huh? You wanna talk about unfair? Unfair is millions of people starving in Africa. It's girls who are always told they're not good enough-!"

"You don't understand anything about how we operate-"

"It's people fighting endless, pointless battles and turning their innocent hands red-!"

"Audrey, that isn't fair!"

"It's religions attacking each other and hatred everywhere!"

" _Shut it, Audrey_!" shouted Percy whose own face had turned red at the digs she was throwing at his world.

But she was on a roll.

" _It's knowing everything sucks in this world if you look at it hard enough! It's watching rich people continue to get more money! It's watching your mother_ -." Audrey's voice broke with emotion and she broke down into furious sobs that racked her whole body. She didn't even feel embarrassed that there was someone watching her as she slowly sank to the ground.

Her knuckles turned white as she curled them tight with resentment. Her shoulders jerked in a sporadic manner and the tears stained the green wool of her shirt. She felt empty and helpless and guilty for shouting.

After a few minutes she felt Percy slide down the wall to sit facing her. She collected herself to speak. "I- I'm sorry, Percy," she said, noting the surprised expression on his face. "It was unfair to blame you."

Percy seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before he said, "I'm sorry, as well …" The words left hanging in the air were obvious:

' _That I told you.'_

He offered her a hand and she stood with him, giving him a small smile which was returned. What she really wanted to do was embrace him and feel the safety of another's arms in her weakened state of mind but she knew she couldn't.

Percy might push her away if she got too close and the last thing she could stand was another person abandoning her in a world she didn't understand.

They didn't let go of their entwined hands, however, and Audrey was grateful for the gesture. They boarded the lift and went straight to the ground floor.

Steeping out of the lift was rather like walking into a marvellous, terrifying sunset. Gold appeared to seep out of every crevice of the walls to take part in detailing some sort of big historical event. The hard wood floors gave way in the middle to a huge fountain, astounding in its size and beauty.

Seeing as she hadn't met any magical creatures, Audrey inspected it and read the label outlining its support for the hospital. It gave her hope. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Percy waiting for her by the fireplace, tapping the two sheets of parchment on his leg. She sighed at how awkward it was going to be and abandoned her sightseeing adventures for the night.

She joined him next to the fireplace and with one glance, grabbed his hand and stepped into the flames. As soon as the heat touched her face they had apparated to Oliver's small flat which completely dark except for the sliver of light coming through the window from the streetlamp outside.

"I just want to see whether he got home," said Percy. He dropped her hand and strode down the dim hallway to what Audrey assumed was the bedroom door. After a few seconds of hesitation Audrey followed.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, pointing to his hand on the doorknob.

Percy's ears tinged red slightly. "Last time I tried an act of kindness with Oliver I saw something that has scarred me greatly."

"Right." Audrey tried not to laugh at the image that sprang into her mind.

" _Homenum Revelio_ ," he muttered, aiming his wand at the room. A faint yellow speck of light came through the wood and attached itself to the tip of Percy's wand. "He's here," he confirmed, putting his wand back into his pocket.

"Great," said Audrey. "So where are we going?"

"You're going home," said Percy and she couldn't help but feel relieved that she could be away from the tense atmosphere.

Again immersed in silence the pair clasped hands and disappeared from the flat.

Audrey sucked in the biting air and began to walk the few metres to her back door so they wouldn't be seen. Percy followed her warily, as though afraid she might start shouting again.

Audrey knew that after an outburst many people couldn't explain where all the fury had come from, they were just caught up in the moment. But she knew; she could feel it so hard in every fibre of her being. Every time she saw someone hurting or someone who she couldn't help. It wasn't fair to blame Percy, but she certainly wouldn't look at the magical world the same again.

"Well …" she began uncomfortably. "Bye then."

"Wait," said Percy, meeting her in front of the door. They stood, squeezed together on the uneven step as he grappled with his words. "I- … You are, er …" He cleared his throat, his eyes growing determined and he placed a gentle hand on her arm. "I want-," he started, this time not interrupted by his uncertainty but by the door suddenly being thrown open.

"Audrey!" her dad exclaimed in relief as he saw her. "You have no idea how worried I was!"

His daughter froze on the step for several moments, trying to catch her words having been startled by his appearance.

"Er … sorry dad," said Audrey. "Got a bit carried away."

"Next time, I don't care where you are, you call me," said Gerard, taking her in his arms. "You find a phone and call me."

Audrey blinked away tears as she clung to her father. Her emotions had wrung her out to dry and he was the only person she trusted to understand. "I'm really, really sorry."

"I know." Her father lifted his head from her shoulder and spotted the red hair, almost glowing in the dark. "Hello," he said coldly. "Are you a friend of Audrey's?"

"Yes, Dad, er … this is Percy, remember," said Audrey energetically. "You met him the other day."

"Yes, I remember," Gerard said. "One does not easily forget those things."

Audrey's fake smile faded at the tone of voice her father was using. "Percy has been keeping me company while Lina and Ethan are busy. You're probably glad at the change of friends."

"And yet, I know Lina and Ethan would never hurt you," said her father and Audrey was astonished, he had never been so openly rude to someone before.

"And yet," she said firmly, "Percy hasn't shown any inclination he's going to hurt me."

"If I could just intervene here-," started Percy but was cut off by the Gerard.

"Audrey, he carried you to my door completely unconscious and I'm just meant to not question that!" exclaimed the older man.

His daughter scowled. "I never said you shouldn't, you just never did!"

"We don't even know where he is from!"

"How do you know that he never told me!? We're FRIENDS!"

"Well maybe I'd believe that more if I didn't know the way young men's minds work," said Gerard, walking back into the house.

"Yeah!" challenged Audrey. "And how's that!?"

They entered the kitchen and her father turned to her, a stubborn shine in his eye. "Men sometimes don't treat women the right way … especially when it comes to overly drunk and stupid girls."

"Are …" Audrey hissed in a dangerous voice, "are you trying to suggest that Percy raped me?"

For the first time in the argument, Gerard seemed uncomfortable with his words. "I-, not … Audrey it-."

"Because it sounded like you were! And if you must know, Percy has been too kind to me and I'd appreciate him getting some respect from you!"

"He hasn't earnt my respect yet," said her father simply.

Audrey ran a harried hand through her hair, causing it to sit strangely. The effect made her appear a little deranged. "I have already had one fight tonight that I despised … I was just hoping to come home and find comfort in my father but I suppose I won't find that tonight." She began to walk to the stairs which were the same direction as the back door.

"You are not leaving this house young lady!" said Gerard, way beyond the point of consideration for his words.

"I'm not a little girl anymore!" she shouted, whirling on him. "I'm an adult and you can't control me!"

"Yes, Audrey, I guess that would be the case if you stopped helping men who did nothing for you!"

At these words his daughter half raised her right hand as though to slap her father. Percy took a step towards her and touched her shoulder so she'd think about her actions. "We'll go upstairs and this can all be forgotten, alright?"

"What? He was staying?" asked Gerard, obviously having eavesdropped.

"Well I was actually planning to go upstairs and have my way with him," sneered Audrey. She shook her head in disgust. "I am _not_ my mother and you're fucking paranoid."

Gerard took a step back from the venom in her voice. "Then perhaps you should rethink your commitment to this family."

There was a breath of silence as she stood in shock at his words. He had never once been this angry at her and she couldn't fathom what Percy had done that drove him so insane. She would look back on this fight once she had children of her own and understand his feelings but right then, as she was becoming her own person, she couldn't handle it. It was so patronisingly protective that she felt all her values and beliefs constrict in her chest, drawing tighter and tighter until she exploded.

"FINE!" Audrey screamed. "MAYBE I WILL!" She marched to the door, grabbing the innocent standby's arm and led him out. "Come along, Percy, we're going to make some horrible choices."

* * *

Percy stood in the backyard of the burrow, having been forced to apparate out of Audrey's house due to the fight she and her father had just had. Audrey was currently in the Weasley's shower having been led there in a sort of trance after they arrived. He breathed in the cool air and proceded to think about the emotion-filled night.

There was so much to be learnt about Audrey. She had discovered his world but he had found the world that existed inside her head and saw it as both unusual and alluring. That was the thing about girls, he thought to himself, no one knew what they were thinking until it was too late. He had thought Penny loved him and vice versa but he was wrong on both accounts.

Feeling too cold he made his way back into the house where Audrey was standing uncertainly in the hall, damp hair soaking her shirt.

He hated being wrong; and he was going to uncover what was it about Audrey Williams that made her seem so vibrant and mysterious.

By the time he had shown Audrey to Ginny's room, figuring his sister wouldn't mind, and mumbled a few words of farewell, he was well and truly exhausted.

Percy didn't know how to feel. He had just spent ten minutes watching a girl sob in anger at something that she had begged him not to forget. Then he had watched her fight with her father whom she held in the highest regard. Confused was not a strong enough word for what he was feeling.

Befuddled. Bamboozled. Perplexed. Puzzled.

Audrey Williams just got a whole lot more complicated.

He lay on his bed, looking up at the blank ceiling having forsaken sleep after a few hours of tossing and turning. Percy wondered whether it was normal to contemplate the intricacies of a girl's mind at three in the morning. But what else would people be doing?

And what happened to her mother? She was obviously gone, but how?

He rolled over again and cursed his need for knowing everything- it would only lead to him scaring her like the night of the World Cup.

* * *

The next morning Percy awoke to the usual Saturday owl telling him he had to be in the office that day because they were overworked. As if he didn't already know. He walked to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, washed his face, and tried to do something about the curls on top of his head to no avail.

He discovered his parents already awake downstairs and proceeded to help his mother with breakfast as was custom. His other siblings didn't have the same drive he did, as one by one, they gave up on cooking or adopted a satisfactory ability. But he would continue trying to cook until the day he died or deemed it not useful in his life.

The sun was just drifting over the tops of the trees, warming the previously chilly house and provided some comfort in the early hours of the morning.

"How early are you meant to be in today, Perce?" questioned his father over the Daily Prophet. "I heard something about an issue arising about the second task."

Percy's head shot up and stared at him. "What issue? Mr Crouch hasn't mentioned anything."

"Then I don't think it's anything we should be worrying about, dear," interrupted his mother carefully. She knew her sons habit of panicking every time he wasn't meeting an expectation.

"Er … Your mother's right," said Mr Weasley. "Barty would have told you if it was anything serious."

And despite a slight disapprovingly glance at the casual way his father spoke of his boss, Percy let the matter go; he could ask around at work when he arrived.

"Anything interesting in the paper today, Dad?" he asked as he placed some eggs on his plate.

"Nothing too concerning," answered Arthur, his eyes scanning the paper slowly. "The Ministry's not doing a thing to find those responsible for the World Cup scandal."

Percy nodded. "Understandably. If the Ministry acted, the public would think there was something to be afraid of."

"We can't keep letting people get away with this or something may start right under our noses. We don't want another Sirius Black do we?"

"The Black problem came to nothing. Without You-Know-Who these people retreat back into their petty lives and leave us be," he replied stoutly, as though he had played a part in defeating the trouble.

"I suppose, son," said his father. From his tone, Percy knew he did not agree with him.

With all the talk, Percy didn't know whether he had forgotten, or just willingly retreated from remembering the night before, but was brought harshly back to reality by the arrival of Audrey at the doorway to the kitchen.

"H- Hi?" she said, greatly embarrassed at the situation.

The three Weasley's turned to see the blushing girl at the foot of the stairs. Molly clapped a hand over her mouth, Percy tried to remember how he'd forgotten, and Arthur just looked shocked.

"W-Who's this?" asked his mother in an unnaturally high voice. "I didn't know you had a friend over, Percy."

"I- I don't," he stammered.

Audrey heaved a deep sigh and resigned herself to speech, "I'm Audrey," she said, shaking both his parents' hands. "I've heard a lot about you both."

Mr Weasley recovered faster than his wife. "We're delighted to meet you, Audrey," he said. "Unfortunately we can't say the same."

"Well your son isn't really the most talkative guy," she said, looking at the glowing ears of the boy to her right. "Isn't that right, Percy?"

"So are you his girlfriend?" said Molly, barely able to keep the excitement from her voice. She had never met Penelope and wanted to know anybody close to her children.

Percy blanched and moved to correct her. "No, mother. Audrey is definitely not my girlfriend. She just needed a place to stay so I gave her Ginny's room for the night."

"Well, Audrey, you're welcome to stay here anytime you like," said his mother. "All the others are away so you can take your pick of the rooms."

"That's a lovely offer," said Audrey, smiling which Percy was glad to see. He had somehow gotten a feeling that she wouldn't be the same after they'd fought. "But I'll go somewhere closer to my friends."

Mrs Weasley beamed at her manners and with a few words had convinced her to eat breakfast with them.

"So where do you work, dear?" asked his mother, and Percy's eyes widened at the question which would unravel their illegal activity.

"Er …" replied Audrey. He could almost see the cogs turning in her head. "I'm training for one of the bigger departments … pretty boring."

And before Percy could feel surprised at her quick thinking, she winked at him and the conversation continued.

No part of his mind registered at that moment the significance of the conversation with his father; the world had just seemed infinitely bigger than a difference of opinion. In a few months' time he would be stuck in his words while the beautiful girl next to him would be unknowingly caught in the middle of something she didn't want and couldn't fix.

* * *

 **Authors Note** : Stay with me! I'm so excited to start writing about all the stupid choices Percy makes because then I can add some real angst to this story!

 **Next Chapter** : Second task and Audrey is taken to Hogsmeade where she learns about Harry Potter.


	8. Exploring the Depths

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

" _The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."_

― **W.B. Yeats**

* * *

"So," Audrey began, tilting her head to the side with a lewd smile, "what does a Triwizard Task entail?"

"Many things," Percy replied, looking ahead at the post office. "They test bravery, resourcefulness, loyalty, and intelligence but it's all quite entertaining for the spectators … a little bit of friendly competition is good for the schools." Audrey raised her eyebrows; he had obviously never seen any of Lina's matches with the Sacred Heart College, they went down in history as the most blood spilled in any hockey match. "The task today will feature a dear companion of each of the competitors held at the bottom of the black lake. The task will be to rescue each person quickly whilst avoiding the merpeople, grindelows, giant squid and the like."

"Oh my god, is that _legal_?"

He looked down at her reassuringly. "It's quite safe. I could bore you with the multitudes of safety measures in place for the tournament however that is a smidge below my department."

"Was that the ministry's excuse before the death toll caused it to finish in 1792?" she asked carefully. Percy raised his eyebrows and sighed heavily, crossing one robed leg over the other.

"Now where did you read that?"

"In this history book," Audrey replied. She turned and dug around in her bag to produce a thick volume. "It says so right …" she turned to a marked page titled 'Trials and Tribulations of Uniting the Wizarding World', "here."

Percy leant forwards and studied the text carefully. "Yes, I remember learning about that incident in History of Magic. Horrible stuff." He closed the book and placed it onto the seat next him. "But you needn't worry yourself because safety was our first step in ensuring the success of the game."

"Alright," she conceded, but something didn't feel right. Audrey inherently believed every problem in the world was begun by ignorance and an inability to question and Percy's complete loyalty to the Ministry was… she shook her head, irritated at herself. He knew they would be fine and, obviously, he was more learnt in those matters than she was.

It had been just two hours ago when Percy turned up at the Ross household asking for Audrey. Luckily, there had been no one home to ask questions. That would have been an interesting story to tell.

From what Audrey had seen of Percy in the past, his manner was strange. He was perfectly dressed and groomed as if he was being judged and his words sounded perfectly acceptable but his hands were unchecked, fiddling with every item upon his person and his eyes had a depth she had never seen before. Her curious nature and fondness for him won over and she decided she could either agree to come and find out what was so important or try to get him to open up immediately and risk him never telling.

So that is how Audrey discovered the town of Hogsmeade, which left her awestruck by its quaint beauty. Nevertheless, as they sat on that bench, her mind drifted off, wondering why the Triwizard Tournament, despite his assurances, would make her wizard so anxious.

* * *

At the Black Lake, Percy's insides were clenching in fear.

The clock chimed.

The hour had passed.

He had only felt this kind of freezing terror once before; the hours he had spent waiting to hear if his little sister was alive. At this moment Ron was stuck somewhere in the endless mass of black water gently lapping onto the bank and he could do nothing to save him. For the first time in his life, Percy felt as though rules were superfluous to the situation at hand; standing in the biting air whilst he could only imagine what was happening under the surface.

He took three deep breaths and nervously wrung his hands together, watching as Diggory and Krum returned to the surface. The gentle caress of the ripples onto the shore seemed to Percy an agitation; nature making light of his plight.

Just when it was beginning to seem like an eternity, someone yelled from the stands, "Bubbles! I think I see bubbles!" The crowd began to murmur in excitement, which grew into a roar as three heads popped up above the icy water.

"Over there!" shouted an exuberant Gryffindor.

"We saw," replied the snarky Ravenclaw next to him.

The judges stood and circled around the table to await the last contestants to come ashore. Percy watched as they grew closer. Their slow pace wreaked havoc on his nerves so that by the time they had reached the shallows he saw himself running out to meet them, grabbing Ron and dragging him to safety.

Once they were on dry land the older Weasley began to fuss over the other boy, checking all limbs were attached and his temperature and other important things he knew nothing about.

"Percy, I'm fine-," said Ron, struggling. "Geroff me."

"No Ron, you are not fine," he replied, resting a hand on his forehead. "You were underwater for at least two hours in the middle of February! Freezing temperatures does no one any favours and you are especially susceptible at this age to colds and fevers and all manner of horrid afflictions. You just cannot go swimming at this time!"

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Well I didn't choose to go did I? I don't remember waking up this morning with an urge to go and drown myself."

"Well of course you didn't," Percy said, not really listening. "Our mother is going to have a fit when she hears about this-"

"Yeah, and you're not having one at all," Ron interjected sarcastically.

"-and I'm not sure she's completely unjustified," he finished, firmly holding his brother's shoulders.

At that moment their squabbling was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey who took Ron away for his proper inspection. Percy watched them go with a slightly put out air. He believed his check-up had been satisfactory.

Everything returned to normal once the points had been announced and the students began to trod back to the school; his heart rate, Ron's temperature, and the excitement levels of the students when Percy remembered a certain illegal someone he had left in the village.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late, the competition took quite a bit longer than expected and there was a slight surprise with the point allocations," said Percy, walking quickly towards the tall girl who had her face pressed against the window of Honeydukes.

"Hello," she said, startled. "I was just admiring the display."

Percy looked confused. "You can enter if you want to."

"Oh, I did," she answered and when he said nothing, she elaborated, "they kicked me out."

"Truly? Never have I heard of them doing that. Not even when Fred and George enchanted all the Cokcroach Clusters to scuttle up people's trousers."

"Well apparently there's a limit on how many free samples one can take," Audrey replied, her cheeks tinted pink. Percy chuckled and they began to walk towards the outskirts of town so they could apparate undisturbed.

They had walked in silence for a few blocks when Audrey caught sight of Percy fiddling with his wand in a worried fashion. She ignored this and attempted some small talk which faded away quickly with each new, meaningless topic.

Finally, she had to ask. "Percy, are you alright?"

"What?" he questioned, expecting another comment on the weather. "Quite well thank you."

Audrey bit her lip, treading carefully, "I haven't known you very long, Percy, but I have trusted you so many times, isn't it time you returned that?"

"I- I suppose I am just a little shaken," he replied after some reflection.

"Didn't everything go to plan as you'd hoped?"

Percy hesitated, thinking over his words. "Well, in the Ministry's eyes, it went perfectly. The bait was thrown into the lake and the contestants followed soon after."

"The perfect day out," she said, smiling. When he didn't respond she pressed him further, "What's the matter, Percy?"

"The person Harry would miss the most is Ron."

"Ron ... your brother?" Audrey asked, trying to figure out why this worry him.

"Yes."

"So he was thrown into the lake?"

"Correct."

"And you were not informed about this prior to your involvement?"

"It would seem they overlooked some details regarding the length they were in the water."

Audrey watched him carefully for any telling emotions. "That would have been ... shocking."

"..."

"Are you alright now?"

"I suppose."

"Percy, come on, talk to me."

He heaved a tortured sigh and turned to face her in the small alley they were in, eyes not on her but on the dimly lit bookshop past her right ear. "Things move so fast around Hogwarts that people forget the little happenings." Audrey nodded, encouraging his words. "Nobody recalls the bad events because the good ones are so much simpler to remember. Actually no," he said, changing his mind, "the small things that make up a person or event are discarded in favour of a label or dramatic finish."

"I'm sorry, Percy, I still don't understand."

"People don't remember that my sister, Ginny, was possessed for a whole year and could have died, if not for Harry Potter. You cannot understand what it was like; sitting in that room ... waiting for news that I assured myself would be bad. It was the most trying night of my life and no one even thinks anything of it."

Audrey nodded solemnly, letting him talk. It took great effort to silence all the voices within herself that understood the exact feeling.

"I was so excited for Ginny to come to Hogwarts. She was probably the only one of my siblings who still respected me and conversed regularly to me but that experience will affect her for life- she still has nightmares. I just felt so helpless and I believe today brought back all those horrid feelings."

"Yeah, I guess it did," she said, looking at him sympathetically. Once they had exited the alley into a field Audrey grasped his arm and they vanished into thin air.

* * *

They landed in a cramped, humid space that was pitch black. Something was uncomfortably digging into the side of Audrey's head and she could hear Percy shifting next to her.

"I think we're in a closet."

"That's funny, cause I thought we were in a football field," she replied irritably. "Can we just get out of here?"

"Well with that kind of attitude we won't be going anywhere." He twisted some more and continued, "Reach into my robe."

Slightly taken aback, Audrey attempted to move away but was met with blunt pain to her head. She groaned in pain. "Why?"

"Because I require my wand."

"Alright, just give me a moment," she said. She reached around in the dark and finally came across something soft. "Is that you?"

"Yes, now go into my left pocket."

Audrey did so, vaguely reflecting on the stiffness of their relationship five minutes beforehand compared to their predicament at that moment. She stifled a giggle.

"This is no laughing matter, Audrey; we don't know where we are."

"Keep your pants on," she replied, finally extracting the wand. "I've got it." She pressed it into his hand, abruptly noticing his breath on her neck and her heart rate quickened. Their fingers brushed together and he held drew in air, which made her move back into her position.

Whilst he positioned his wand at the door, she chastised herself for her clichéd reaction to being close to a man.

It isn't any different to touching Ethan, Audrey told herself.

" _Alohomora_ ," Percy commanded and something clicked. Audrey found the light and pushed lightly; trusting Percy got them where they needed to be.

They both stepped out with some difficulty and let their eyes adjust. She could not help but feel a little disappointed that they were at a train station; it was not a subtle hint.

"So I guess you're going back to the ministry from here?" she asked, looking over to him.

Percy's eyes flicked worriedly to the people passing by, even though they were all studying the train times or absently looking around. "I need to get back to the Ministry; Mr Crouch is relying on me to get work done in his absence. I'll see you in a few weeks." He began to walk away.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, pulling him back to face her, getting tired of his evasiveness. "Is everything okay? You seem a bit tense."

"Of course it is," he replied.

Audrey stared into his eyes seriously. "I have to admit, I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed- well, terrified," she said shakily.

"What's scaring you?" he asked, his eyes creasing in worry. He placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"I don't think you're telling me the truth about this 'dark' society," said Audrey, grabbing his hand for emphasis. "And I don't think I'm as safe as you say I am."

Percy hesitated, eyes darting over to the exit of the platform. "Yes, Audrey, there are things I've kept from you…" She opened her mouth to protest but he continued. "But it's for your own good-"

"Don't treat me like a child, Percy."

"What's wrong with being a child?" he asked with sad smile. "There are no worries, no regrets, nothing to stop you from being free."

Audrey squeezed her eyes shut. "Please don't do that."

"What?"

"Avoid the question because you're afraid of answering it."

"I'm not doing that." He sighed heavily and in a unique show of affection pulled her close and rested his chin on the top of her head. "You are definitely safe. You will always be safe." Audrey's brow furrowed as she tentatively rested her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat through the heavy robes he was wearing. She felt secure in that moment, knowing that it was a lie but enjoying the feeling.

She had just begun to enjoy the embrace when he suddenly broke away and cleared his throat. "I am _extremely_ late, sorry Audrey." He shot her a quick smile. "I really have to run; Mr Crouch is counting on me." He turned away and hurried out of the crowd.

"No, don't leave me alone!" she cried out. It was too late. Audrey watched in disbelief as the tall figure disappeared, and for the first time since meeting him, she felt completely lost.

Maybe a hero was not as perfect as she had first thought.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** I stopped counting the months but I expect it's been a while. I'm really sorry about that and I hope to keep updating regularly but I just started my final year so forgive me for any absences


	9. An Arduous Day

Disclaimer: No. Not J.K. Rowling. Do not own shit.

* * *

" _The capacity for friendship is God's way of apologising for our families."_

― **Jay McInerney**

* * *

Audrey pressed her back against the rough bark, feeling each rivet and bump etch a pattern onto her skin. She sighed, clenching her teeth together, hands lifeless atop her stocking covered knees.

Why was it so hard?

* * *

When Percy was little he used to dream about being important.

It was hardly surprising, after all being the middle child of any family is hard, especially with six kids to compete with. He loved his siblings, he really did, but sometimes it was difficult to be the odd one out in a family of pairs. Different interests and ambitions were only the result of having to entertain himself rather than having a friend whom he could constantly play with.

He didn't blame anybody. It was simply the result of the birth order. Each sibling was closest with the one next to them in age. Unfortunately for him, the fourth child was not one, but two. Obviously, they were closer to each other than to him.

But this reasoning didn't stop that incessant need for being great. He had to succeed. He had to be Head Boy. He had to be smarter, stronger, achieve more than Bill and Charlie had.

And if that meant he was a little tense then so be it. He had made it to the Ministry of Magic.

* * *

Audrey braced herself and looked up at the street before her. Two turns, left and right, and she'd be home. Her dad would be at work; easy to slip in and out without being noticed.

She grabbed her bag, pushing herself upright with help from the tree and let out another sigh. If she took more clothes it would be final – she would be moving out of her house, the place where she grew up. The place where her mum had lived and breathed and loved. The house with the sofa that was complete shit but her dad said had 'artistic value'. The place that she felt safe.

All those memories, ruined by one stupid fight.

Why was it so hard?

With a final shake of her head Audrey began walking away. It wasn't the right time or the right action. She was an adult and she would act like one.

Once she had reached the corner of the park she stepped into the compact space and dialled the numbers that were so familiar yet so intimidating.

"Hello Gerard, speaking."

Audrey smiled. "Hi Dad."

* * *

Percy looked up, startled at the abrupt knock on his door.

"Come in."

The office door swung open to display an unassuming looking wizard dressed in bright red robes with a hefty stack of leaflets piled in his arms.

"Sorry to disturb you Percy," he said, moving into the small space.

"What can I do for you Frank?" Percy replied, gesturing to the seat opposite.

Frank shook his head. "Oh no I can't stay long. I just wanted to tell you that Megan has been asking around about you, claims you stole something of hers?"

"Really?" said Percy, his interest peaked. "Anything of importance?"

"From what I heard it's just some cock-and-bull story for that impotent column she writes," answered Frank, rolling his eyes. "But I just thought you should know in case there was anything you would rather not be written about in gobbledegook."

"Thank you for informing me of this Frank. I only hope the other recruits for the Prophet follow in your footsteps rather than a particular taloned woman I shall not name," he finished, knowing the other wizard thoroughly disliked his co-worker.

Frank chuckled and said, "Anyway, I better be off, these pamphlets need to be delivered to the Transport department."

Percy smiled, waiting for the last of the blinding robes to disappear behind the door. Once it was shut however, the façade faded and panic began to set in. Anyone could have seen her. Whether it was at Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade it wasn't like they were sneaking around in the shadows.

He had worked his whole life to reach his current position. Every class, every study session, every night spent away from potential friends had been to get to this place.

He leant forward, ruining his perfect posture to rest his head in his hands. He knew he had to go through with it this time.

* * *

Life in the Ross household was hectic. Audrey imagined it as a machine made from mismatching parts. Each person helped to keep things running but did not blend with the other parts to achieve the optimal result.

Today was no different.

"Are you serious? Are you _serious_?" Ethan exclaimed, waving his arms around madly.

"Don't take that tone with me! If you just listened to people when they talked to you," Lina retorted, no less animated.

Her twin scoffed. "You told me the dishes were dirty! What other translation could I make?"

"I said they were dirty, as in, before I cleaned them!" cried Lina. "Your job was to wash the clothes!"

"For the love of-," started Ethan, before he was interrupted.

"SHUT UP!" They jumped as they heard their mothers booming voice. "You are both being absolutely ridiculous. You're adults! Get some common sense!"

With downtrodden expressions, they both moved into the sitting room where Audrey was attempting to hide her smirk.

"Oh, shut up," muttered Ethan.

"Nah," Audrey replied, casually stretching her arms above her head. "You both have faces like slapped arses."

Lina snorted and threw herself down next to her friend. "What are you doing there?"

"What do you think?" said Audrey.

"Studying?"

"Yeah."

"Sucker."

"Fuck off."

"Good for you. I can't do anything today, I'm too tired," added Ethan.

Audrey grimaced. "I can't stop doing it. When I do relax I feel even worse. I dreamt last night that I was climbing with Mowgli from the Jungle Book but he turned into my Dad and pushed me out of the tree because I wasn't going to pass."

"Speaking of your dad," said Lina slyly. "Did you go over there today?"

"Yeah," Audrey replied. "but I couldn't do it. I ended up calling him and said I would like have dinner at home tonight."

"You sure?" asked Ethan, brow creasing. "You can stay here as long as you like."

She smiled and replied, "No. I need him. It was a stupid fight over something that's not as important. And plus, as your mother pointed out, we're adults and we have to act like them."

Lina and Ethan shared concerned glances as Audrey went back to work. There was something going on with her; she had been intentionally vague about the fight and they knew from experience that it was something to worry about.

* * *

"Ah, Percy, I've been looking for you."

Percy plastered an amicable expression upon his face, hating himself. "I've been informed of that fact."

Megan smiled, her eyes betraying her similarly pleasant expression and said, "Well, now that you're here maybe you could help me with something?" She stood up and moved out of the crowded news room and into the corridor. Percy raised his eyebrows at her uncharacteristic tact. "I believe you have something of mine."

"And what would that be?"

"A story. A good one," said Megan, her expression hardening at his response.

"I was under the impression that stories can't be stolen," replied Percy. "Don't they simply exist?"

She gritted her teeth. "Not without evidence. That night when I saw you with that girl I had a quick quotes quill. Something to prove our conversation actually happened. Now, I'm not stupid. I know what people think of me and my writing. But believe it or not I work hard to achieve what I do and I am not going to let you ruin that." She straightened up and finished her speech, "Give me my notes or I will ask everyone in this building who that girl was."

The cogs whirred in Percy's head, thinking through every possible option to escape the predicament he had found himself in and concluded that the original way out had been the only way out. How had he let the situation get so far?

"Meet me at seven o'clock in the laneway off Eliot Street."

* * *

Audrey collapsed onto the green covers, appreciating the feel of the cotton on her skin and the familiar smell of jasmine and almond from her perfume that had somehow permeated her every possession. She rolled over and looked at the ceiling, a small smile forming at the unassuming environment she had reclaimed. Though she would never tell anyone, she had really missed being home. It was easier to pretend than to face people's sympathy and charity.

Dinner had been awkward for the first five minutes but they had both spurted out apologies before they took their first bites. Gerard had promised to relax and loosen the reigns on her if she always provided information on who she was with. Audrey nodded to herself, comfortable in her ability to keep this promise. After all, Percy hadn't contacted her in two months.

She grimaced, knowing her thoughts were leading down a dark path. Whether it was worry at his safety or anger at his absence, she couldn't help but think negatively when her vague wonderings turned into pointed remembrance. He could have called, or wrote, or whatever wizards do. Even if he didn't know where she was staying he was a fucking wizard! He could have contacted her if he tried.

Unfortunately, the last thing Audrey wanted to relinquish was her anger. If she let herself feel anything other than rage, all she would be left with would be hurt. Hurt that someone she trusted could toss her aside like nothing. She rolled back on her side and spotted the small pile of books on the bedside table and her emotions intensified. It felt like she was trying to contain a beach ball inside her chest, an ever-inflating ball of pure feeling.

Maybe it was for the better. After all, he hadn't been the warmest of friends and certainly not the most fun. She rolled her eyes, knowing it was fruitless to lie to herself – she missed Percy and that was that.

* * *

Percy slammed the door shut and leant against it, trying to reclaim use of his limbs using deep, steady breathing. It was no use, his arms shook uncontrollably, his legs were weak, he felt like a crumpled piece of parchment – irreversibly damaged.

"Oi, Weasley!" a jovial voice exclaimed from the bedroom. "Come to leech off my good heart again?"

Oliver bounced into the hallway only to see Percy's pale form. A rapid change overwent his face and he moved forward, grasping his friends arm to lead him to the sofa. After making sure he was comfortable he waved his wand in the direction of the kitchen and they heard the heavy sigh of the kettle on the stove.

"So…" he started, looking around the room, "want to talk about it?"

Percy gave a noncommittal shrug and stared off into space, feeling the evening breeze blowing across his face, bringing with it a scent of jasmine.

"I have to go," he said abruptly, standing up and marching in the direction of the door.

"Whoa, whoa, no," said Oliver firmly, moving quickly to block his path. "You are not well enough to go anywhere."

"I have to see her," exclaimed Percy, gripping his hair madly. "I have to!"

"Who?"

"Audrey!"

Despite his befuddlement, Oliver continued his efforts to force him back into the living room. "Look, you can see her tomorrow when you've calmed down. I'm going to make tea and then you are going to sleep. You can't just burst into her house at eleven o'clock at night without any warning, especially since she hasn't seen you for ages."

Percy stopped his fighting, looking shocked. "What?"

"Well it's been a few months, right?"

"I-," he started, stepping back. "No… I… MERLIN!" he shouted and began to turn.

"Percy, NO!" But Oliver could not react fast enough and in a split-second Percy was gone.

* * *

Audrey screamed as an enormous CRACK reverberated around her room and into her skull. She closed her eyes at the initial shock and opened them to an unwelcome site.

"Seriously?" she said unsteadily, the fear in her eyes disappearing and a dangerous spark taking its place. " _Seriously_!?"

Percy took a few steps back and said, "What?"

"Oh, come on, Percy!" she exclaimed, standing up and advancing on him. "You put me on a train two months ago! You didn't think I'd expect some contact?"

"Wait," said Percy, closing his eyes, "I don't…"

Audrey shook her head in disbelief. "I honestly would have been happy with fucking note just so I knew what was happening."

She watched as he sunk onto her desk chair, moving like every action pained him. He gripped his red hair in his hands, hiding his face from her view. Audrey reluctantly forced herself to calm down, stretching her fingers and took a deep breath. The bed creaked as she sat down, observing Percy's rigid, submissive position.

Moving slowly, as though something would explode, she reached out and placed a tentative hand on his knee, feeling relief at the solidness of his form.

"Percy?" she said gently, but all he did was retreat further away. "Hey, what's the matter?" she asked, brushing her fingers against his white knuckles, worry starting to fill her chest. "I'm sorry I shouted but I needed you to know how angry- no, how _scared_ I was. I can't have people walking away from me, not when I need them. And… I really missed you."

With her final words she gripped his hands, moving them away from his head. She was shocked to see red rims surrounding the blue irises and felt something shift inside of her. He was just as hurt as she was.

Keeping eye contact she cupped his face in her hands and used her legs to move the chair closer. Her breath quickened at the intimacy of their contact, an understanding passed through their closeness.

"Please tell me what's wrong."

Percy broke her gaze and looked at a spot on the floor. "I wiped Megan's memory," he whispered.

* * *

 **Authors Note** : Well… I hope you all enjoyed this chapter despite my negligence towards this story. I have had a really hectic year but I hopefully have some time coming up where I can get stuck back into writing. Thank you for sticking with this story, it means a lot.


	10. Intense Instinct

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

 _"One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel."_

 **― Steven Moffat**

* * *

Audrey awoke to the muffled thuds of ceramic on wood and grinned when she remembered where she was. The familiar sounds of her dad making coffee awoke a deep relief within herself and her brain relaxed for the first morning in many months. She extracted her arms from under the covers and stretched, giving a loud yawn, which caused her bed mate to shift in his sleep. Suddenly the previous night came back to her in full force and she took great care when rolling over to not awake Percy in his current state of rest.

Looking at his face on the pillow next to her, Audrey recalled the emotions that she had experienced as Percy confessed to wiping someone's memory. Horror, betrayal, sympathy, anger and shock just to name a few. Even if it had been just a few precise memories, it made her skin crawl to think about losing control over your own mind- hours of your life lost, never to be reclaimed.

But he was so broken; and with this fact in mind, she focused on the enormously difficult position he had been placed in- that she had placed him in. He had been protecting her as much as he was protecting his job. She was sure of it.

Percy shuffled again, his glasses pressing into the bridge of his nose. With a soft smile, she reached out to stroke his cheek, her fingers barely touching him in fear that she was crossing an invisible line in their relationship. She didn't know what was propelling her to touch him in such a caring way, only that she enjoyed the warm adrenaline that developed in her stomach at the feeling of his slightly stubbly skin against her fingertips.

"Audrey?" he murmured, opening his eyes. Fast as lightening, Audrey whipped her hand away and sat up, trying to appear natural despite all the strong emotions that were bubbling through her chest. A confused look passed over his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I think I should be asking you that question," she replied with a smirk. "As this is my bedroom."

"Oh," said Percy simply. "I apologise for intruding, I assume I fell asleep."

Audrey looked at him understandingly. "It's cool. You were pretty worked up last night."

"Yes… I suppose I was." He pushed himself into a sitting position and removed his glasses, wincing as felt his bruised nose.

"How much can you see without those?" she asked, curiosity overtaking her. "I mean, you wear them all the time."

Percy grimaced and gestured towards her. "A blurry outline. Spots of colour with little definition." He adjusted himself and reached into his robes for his wand to heal his nose. Audrey drew in a sharp breath and a horrified look crossed his face as he quickly pushed it back into his pocket. She kicked herself, wishing for the days when she saw magic as something amazing and special instead of a potential weapon. "I'm sorry," he said, his ears glowing, "I didn't even think."

"No, no, no," said Audrey, stumbling over her words. "Please don't be sorry, I know you wouldn't hurt me. I really want us to be normal again."

"I wiped someone's memory just to save my career!" he exclaimed. "I introduced a muggle to magic because it fed my ego to have someone look up to me despite it putting you in considerable danger!"

"Hey," she said softly, "you are not a bad person." Percy scoffed and looked away. "Look at me." She placed her fingers where they had been minutes before and guided his eyes back to her own.

"Sorry, but … I can't really see you," he said. Audrey's brow furrowed in confusion before she realised that his glasses were still residing on the covers and not on his face. An amused snort emanated from her nose and she clapped her hand over her mouth to save the serious moment they had been having. Unfortunately, the disgusted look on his face only furthered her amusement and she started to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of their predicament.

* * *

Percy watched her laugh and realised that although he couldn't see her, he could picture the exact expression of joy upon her face. He felt enormous relief that she was enjoying herself despite the dreadful act he had committed. He was also trying not to feel elated at the words she had spoken last night, admitting that she had missed him. It was a nice feeling to be wanted.

As he thought about this, an unexplored question arose in his mind and he turned back to Audrey with a calculating expression. "Audrey," he began, waiting for her to notice as she came down from her high.

"Yeah?" she responded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"If you, erm… well you said…" Percy began to feel heat creep up on his face again. "Last night, when you said you miss- well, had wanted to see me, why didn't you just go back to Oliver's flat?"

Audrey's expression turned from light-hearted to completely befuddled. "I- I don't know. I guess I didn't really remember where it was."

"Really? You did say you had travelled through London a fair amount to find it the first time."

"It was quite strange actually," she said in a ponderous tone. "I was just about to give up when I saw Oliver, and as we were walking back to his place we were talking about rather interesting topics, I assume I was too enthralled to take any notice.

Percy nodded, accepting her answer despite the numerous questions that still chipped away at his mind. How could she remember facts from every book he gave her but not a simple address? How could she have been so lucky to spot a wizard in the middle of London? And one that he knew personally?

A knock woke him up from his thoughts and before he could register what it meant, he was forcefully shoved under the covers.

"Just a minute," he heard Audrey yell. He felt her move around on her bed and felt several objects pile on top of his body. "Don't make a sound," she hissed. "Come in, Dad."

Percy heard the door open. "Good morning Audrey," greeted her father, followed by a hearty chuckle, "Look at you all cocooned in there, reading, it's a bit hot for that. Anyway, breakfast is on the stove and I boiled the kettle for you."

"Thanks Dad," she replied. "Have a great day."

"I'll try," he said, and Percy heard the door shut.

With great effort, the young wizard extracted himself from the blankets to see Audrey perched on his lap and nearly choked. She turned her head at the sound and blushed, jumping off the bed and moving to the door.

"Well, I'm going to get breakfast, you coming?" she said as her brown curls disappeared around the corner.

Before following, Percy gave himself a moment to bury his head in his hands. Audrey was a beautiful woman and it was understandable to be attracted to her when they had been that close. However, he was ignoring the fact that his emotions had merely been intensified in that moment, not created. He felt that a deep desire had consumed his body and wanted to collect his thoughts away from the women that made them scatter.

* * *

"So, what are you doing today?" Audrey inquired as Percy entered the kitchen. "Work?"

"Actually, it's the day of the third task so I'll be at Hogwarts," he said, standing awkwardly in the centre of the room.

A worried look crossed across her face. "Are you sure you want to go? After what happened last time?"

"Certainly," Percy replied. "I was just a little tired that day. One should always get a full night's rest." He pretended to ignore her frustrated sigh and made his way to the kitchen table which was stacked with various indecipherable notes and textbooks with words that made no sense to the wizard. He took his time looking through them, trying to see if he could learn as much about Audrey's world as she managed to learn about his. The only sound was small clinks as Audrey stirred milk through her coffee.

Suddenly, they both broke the silence.

"Who is Maslow?" asked Percy, while Audrey said, "I'm coming with you."

They stared at each other, both trying to figure out the context of their words.

"Oh," Audrey began, still looking confused, "Maslow was an American psychologist who theorised that-," But she was cut off by his firm voice.

"No."

She frowned. "Yes. I have to."

"Do you know the reason I had to wipe her Megan's memory?" said Percy, advancing on her. "She saw us. In public. We were not careful enough and taking you today would be extremely dangerous."

"Going _alone_ would be extremely dangerous," argued Audrey.

He snorted. "How?"

"Percy, the whole time I've known you you've been at your best," she said. "You try to hide all your weaknesses from me, but... you're not perfect Percy, nobody is. And from what I saw last night I don't think you can handle that fact very well."

"This conversation is ridiculous," he said firmly, doing his best to ignore the voice inside him that agreed with her. "Thank you for letting me stay, I have to go." And with those words he exited the house and began to walk up the street.

Unfortunately, he only made it past the kitchen when he heard her.

"Fucking, bugger, shit! Percy, you moron."

And, like a biblical voice inside his head, Audrey's expletives triggered something inside of himself and he walked back through the door.

After a moment of shock, the tall girl recovered and quipped, "Aaah, the walk of shame."

"I'll be back at five."

* * *

"No talking, no wandering off, no curiosity, no idiocy, no-."

"Percy, I'm not an imbecile. I won't do anything stupid," said Audrey, slightly sick of his lecturing. Before apparating they had agreed that she would stay outside the village and only move in case of emergency. She didn't mind this arrangement because she was still close to him if he needed anything. "Anyway, you need to go, it's going to start in an hour."

His blue eyes flicked across her face, trying to ascertain her seriousness. "I know. I just think you should-."

"I know, ok. Everything's going to be fine," she said soothingly. She held out her arms as a goodbye but instead received a quick nod and the sight of him walking away.

Audrey rolled her eyes at his typical avoidance and turned away from his retreating silhouette, finding a shady spot behind between two moss covered rocks, away from the prying eyes of the village. She opened her bag and pulled out a new book Percy had gotten her on his way back from work. It was a detailed collection of legends and history that explained Circe's life and her impact on the magical world.

Telling herself there was nothing to worry about she turned to the first page and began reading.

* * *

It was as she reached the sixteenth chapter that she decided to get up and stretch, after all, she had been sitting for a good few hours. As she rose she began to hear the noise that was previously blocked by the rocks surrounding her.

Screams. Lots of screams.

Audrey's knees felt weak as she scrambled over a smaller boulder to hear more. She felt like she had swallowed one of the rocks she had been sitting on. Anxiety pressed heavily on her chest as she recalled the similarity to the night when she had been introduced to magic.

"Audrey!" a voice called. She hastily ran back to her previous spot to see a comforting sight of red hair and glasses.

"Percy, what's happening?" she asked, forcefully restraining herself from embracing him in relief. "I just heard screaming."

"Something…" he began, face pale. "I don't know exactly. One of the champions I think… it was probably an accident."

"I don't understand," said Audrey. "Please, I can help."

His face darkened. "No, I need you to hide. There's a small drop off the hill if you walk that way," said Percy, gesturing down the slope. "Stay under there until I figure out whether it's safe to apparate."

"Hey, you have to tell me what's going on!" she exclaimed as he began to leave.

"Audrey there is no time. I have to be of assistance."

He left her again, but this time it was not mild worry she was left with but significant dread. She tried to understand his rush but could only focus on the terror of not knowing, just like her feelings when he had avoided the question about the death eaters four months ago.

Waiting in the shallow cave, Audrey felt more alone than she ever had before. The sky darkened to a murky black and the sounds of owls echoed through the night. She had to resist the temptation to run through Hogsmeade and find answers because the loneliness was so tenuous.

"Audrey?" she heard in the darkness after a torturous amount of time.

"Yes?" she replied, unsure of whether the voice was Percy's or not.

Something moved above her and her heart jumped into her throat. "Come on we have to go, it's safe but I don't know for how long."

Breathing a sigh of relief Audrey pushed herself up, making sure her head didn't collide with the dirt overhang and looked up. The moon cast its light in a way that obscured Percy's features and she began to climb up the incline so she could see his face.

But to her horror, she was stopped by a wand on her throat.

"Hello girlie," a husky voice said behind her, sending shivers across her skin. She felt his hot breath against her neck as he addressed the other stranger. "Is this the one?"

The tall man in front of her moved into the light. Audrey's pulse quickened when she saw the crude hood which hid his face from view. He lifted his wand to her eye level and she had to force herself not to turn away. She breathed a sigh of relief when the only consequence was a purple light that floated out of her chest.

"Yes, it's her," he replied. "What's your name, beautiful?"

Audrey's eyes flashed at his soft tone, seemingly teasing her fear. With as much courage as she could muster she began to respond, only to jump as high as she could, twisting and kicking the man holding her. Not another thought crossed her mind as she fled across the hilltop, leaping over rocks and rotting logs to try and reach anyone that could help. She heard angry voices behind her but didn't stop to see whether they were chasing her.

Her heart pumped in her chest and her breathing staggered, protesting the quick pace of her flight.

She knew she couldn't run forever.

Only a short distance from the first house Audrey felt her legs give way and she was flung into the air. She hurriedly cleared her hair out of her eyes only to see two figures emerge from the darkness behind her.

"Please! Please, I don't know anything!" she screamed, remembering the horrifying sight of the family floating in the sky and realising how hopeless any escape was. They had magic and she didn't. "Please don't hurt me!"

"We won't hurt you pretty girl," said the shorter one. "You won't even notice what we've done."

They chuckled as they advanced on her as she began to scream in earnest, squirming madly, trying to escape.

The taller one pressed his nose against hers, Audrey felt his breath on her skin and tried to scratch his face but quickly felt her arms fastened behind her. She sobbed, scared out of her mind, as he placed his wand against her forehead.

"You're our way in," he spat, and everything went black.

* * *

Audrey groaned as she felt someone shaking her and felt sharp rocks poking into her back. For a few moments she felt a rush of energy like she was in danger but it quickly seeped out of her like a lost dream. Opening her eyes, she saw a familiar face.

"Percy!" Audrey exclaimed as she remembered the recent events, the terror she had felt as she heard the screams from the village. "Can you tell me what has happened yet?" She stood up and faced him, taking in his shaking hands, drawing flashbacks to his recent breakdown.

"I- … I don't really-," started Percy. He cleared his throat and continued, "A student has died up at the school."

"What!?" she cried. "In the maze?"

"Yes, I believe so," he replied, hands uncontrollably adjusting his glasses.

Audrey's wide eyes juxtaposed her even tone. "How do you think it happened?"

"I believe there was a glitch in the way the task was designed. It's utterly horrible business."

"Do you-?" she began uncertainly. "Do you think it was Vol- You-Know-Who?"

Percy blinked. "Of course not, Audrey! He's been dead for years, remember? If he was back we would know."

"What do you have to do now?" asked Audrey. "Is there going to be a funeral? What about his family? Oh god," she clapped a hand to her mouth, "They- they'll be-… oh _shit_ , Percy. Can you imagine if one of your brothers died? It'd stop your whole world, it would be like reaching into your chest and taking out everything that made you yourself. And can you imagine the _agony_ it would be to see your child die before you? It's something that every parent fears and-." She broke off, staring at him. Percy was looking at her with such intensity that her emotions twisted and she couldn't tell whether she was depressed or ecstatic. She felt exposed yet her thoughts were clouded. "Are you even listening to me? Do you even-?" she started, but was cut off by a determined step forward and a pair of lips meeting her own.

Audrey felt all rational thought exit her mind. She knew this was so wrong under the circumstances but nothing had ever felt more right than wrapping her arms around Percy's neck and kissing him back passionately. They clung to each other, their movements awkward and desperate - a collage of lips and wandering hands.

Percy pulled away slightly and they broke apart, breathing heavily in the summer air. "Sorry," he muttered, removing his arms from around her waist. Audrey felt the loss inside her, a heat that need to be revived. "I should have asked you first… it's not appropriate. You probably didn't want-."

"Shut up, Percy," Audrey groaned, pulling him back to her. He didn't protest as her lips moved gently against his in a slow kiss, warming them to their centre. Without breaking contact Percy spun her around and apparated away from the village.

* * *

The muted light of a living room came into view as Audrey's vision cleared from the asphyxiating travel choice. She immediately recognised the sofa as the one in Oliver's apartment.

"Oh," she stated, surprised. "Why here?"

"I don't really know," Percy replied, looking confusedly around the room. "Going home would mean talking about what happened with my family."

Audrey nodded, studying his face. "You have to go home eventually."

"I know."

They both moved slowly through the room, tiptoeing around the inevitable conversation concerning the recent development in their relationship. Percy dropped heavily into the armchair, resting his head in his hands. Audrey placed herself uncertainly on the edge of the nearby sofa. The silence made the air seem thicker.

Finally, Percy spoke, "Look Audrey, you don't have to stay if you don't want to. I understand if this makes you uncomfortable."

All she could do in reply was bite her lip in closeted relief. He was still pompous, insecure Percy and she was comforted by this fact, realising that her friendship with this man had been transformed into a deep attraction.

"Come over here," said Audrey, patting the seat beside her.

"Why?" he asked, studying her with a guarded expression.

"So I can give you a hug," she said, smiling with fond exasperation.

He stood, still wary, and crossed to the sofa. His chosen position left a sizeable space between them. Audrey rolled her eyes and grasped his hands, wondering why it had been so easy ten minutes ago and now made her body quiver with nervous energy.

Tentatively, she pulled him closer and their eyes connected. She saw him swallow nervously. Making sure to be slow, she traced her hand up his arm, hearing his breathing increase the higher it got. Audrey didn't know why she was being so gentle when all her instincts told her to jump him. Her hand brushed his neck and she gently tugged at a red curl.

He looked at her, his eyes betraying the depth of his anxieties. "I want to be happy."

"Ok," she said softly, steadily returning his gaze.

With those words, he broke, leaning forwards to claim her lips with the fierce passion of a man who had been waiting too long. Audrey gasped at the sheer meaning behind their kiss and returned it just as strongly. Lips and teeth clashing together they sunk back onto the cushions, ignoring any outside noise and internal problems. It was only the two of them, the one person they could trust without fear of being judged or ignored. The one person they had desired for months. In the midst of their embrace Audrey felt Percy's hand begin to trail up her leg and she smiled against his lips, moving her hand to touch the skin under his shirt.

"Wait- stop," he exclaimed, pulling away. She raised an eyebrow quizzically; from what she could tell he was quite enjoying himself. He looked sheepish, "I am not being very proper."

Some part of Audrey wondered what Percy and Penelope had actually done but she brushed it away.

"The last thing I want you to be right now is proper," she said, straddling him.

"Ok," he said quickly, and allowed her to unbutton his shirt. She captured his mouth in another kiss and gently moved her hands up his chest and back around his neck. They breathed staccato gasps in between kisses - it was impossible to concentrate on any one thought flying around her mind.

It was just as Percy slid a warm hand under her shirt that the door burst open, causing them to jump apart. Oliver appeared in the hallway looking worse for wear, and, not recognising the situation he had stumbled across, walked in and threw himself down onto the armchair. He let out a loud groan and rubbed his eyes tiredly whilst the others watched him closely.

"Well…" he began, his voice hoarse, "all in all I feel pretty fucked." At their lack of response, he looked closer at their position. His eyes wandered over Audrey's body sprawled unceremoniously on the floor and Percy's shirt with half its buttons undone. Both their faces were considerably red and he did recall a thump as he had entered the flat. His eyes widened in understanding.

Audrey, watching the changes on his face jumped in before he had a chance to comment, saying, "Yeah, we were just saying how… how, um…"

"I'm sure you were," said Oliver, raising his eyebrows. "Maybe before you started stripping him."

"It was in no way a slight on Diggory's death," Percy elaborated, his ears darkening to match his hair. "We just- well, I… we're sorry."

The athlete let out a booming laugh, throwing his head back and thoroughly shocking his two friends. "Are you kidding me? This is the only good thing that's come out of today."

"What?" asked Audrey. She was completely baffled by the continuously shifting mood and turned to lock eyes with Percy who was looking just as confused.

"Aaaah," Oliver sighed, wiping his eyes. "I'm going to hell, but I guess I'll see you two there."

Audrey grasped the coffee table to help herself up, shaking her head in amusement. She made her way out of the room where Percy was trying to assure his friend that they were not disrespectful, and walked into the kitchen. With methodical actions, she filled up the kettle and set it upon the lit stove. She was having trouble contemplating the dramatic nature of the past twenty-four hours and couldn't believe that this time yesterday she had been fearing a dinner with her father. With everything that had happened, good and bad, she felt like a changed person and she had to give herself a moment to reflect upon her feelings.

As she opened the fridge her eyes were drawn to small scratches detailing the skin on her arms. Intrigued, she made sure no one was around before searching over her entire body, discovering more angry red lines etched upon her legs and a sizeable rip in her shirt. It appeared as though she had run through a forest or done some serious climbing but she couldn't remember doing anything like that.

Suddenly, Audrey felt fear like she had never known, she felt weightless yet grounded as the same time. She heard screaming and whirled around, trying to pinpoint the source, but all she saw was the blue cupboards.

"You alright in there?" asked Oliver from the next room. As abruptly as it had begun, the trance was broken and she snapped back into reality, hurrying to get the mugs and finish her task.

After a few minutes, she returned to the sitting room accompanied with three mugs of tea. Percy and Oliver were still bickering and it brought a smile to her face to see that they could find laughter under the circumstances.

Once the tea was placed in front of them, they all paused to drink and remembered the situation that had led them there. Oliver covered his eyes with one arm, leaning back in his chair; Percy's back stiffened, drinking his tea with a hardened expression. Audrey watched the darkness consume them and had to stop herself from sobbing. She felt like one of those awful people who pretended to be sad even though they had no connection to the deceased. However, it was hard to argue with the sinking feeling in her chest and the tears pricking her eyes. It wasn't that she knew Cedric, it was that she understood the depression and anger accompanying the death of a loved one.

Not caring that there was someone else in the room she shifted closer to Percy and, setting down her tea, she wrapped him tightly in her arms. He looked down into her eyes and returned the embrace, laying a soft kiss on her forehead before resting his head on top of hers.

Everything was about to change.

* * *

 **Authors Note** : Hello people who made it to the bottom! A week since updating? What is this madness? Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you liked this chapter, I know it's a bit long but I had so much to write! Thank you for the follows and reviews, I always feel really happy when I see them.


	11. Suppress

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter... I don't even know why I write this statement every bloody chapter

* * *

 _"Hold on. Hold on to what we are. Hold on to your heart."_

 **-Of Monsters and Men**

* * *

Audrey yawned and arose from her position, feeling her joints creak in protest of her abysmal posture. With a wide stretch, she saw Percy lying on the couch above her, face plastered against the armrest, glasses askew. Moving slowly to avoid waking him she gently removed the spectacles to avoid more bruising on the bridge of his nose. Deciding it would be better to let him sleep, she stood and walked through the hall and into the kitchen where the smell of coffee welcomed her.

"Morning," greeted Oliver before putting a handful of small brown seeds in his mouth.

"Hey," replied Audrey, taking a seat across from him. She watched him scoff more snacks and raised a sceptical eyebrow. "What in the world are you eating?"

The stocky boy showed her the packet. "Got to keep my strength up. Quidditch doesn't take a break."

"You realise you have a cup of coffee in front of you? Surely drinking that plus hundreds of coffee beans is going to make you sick."

"I think hundreds is stretching it, Williams," said Oliver. He took a patronising sip of his beverage and changed the subject, "So you let Percy sleep in?"

Audrey nodded, blearily wiping her eyes. "I thought he should rest; he was really stressed last night."

"Well you seem to be able to relax him," he said slyly.

"Aaah yes, I was wondering when we'd get to this," she sighed, tossing her loose hair over her shoulder. "Go on then. Hit me."

Oliver laughed, "You can't force my humour, it comes naturally in the conversation."

"You are the funniest person I know," said Audrey, trying to hide her smile which would betray her sarcasm.

"If you're going date Percy you're gonna have to get used to it."

"Yeah… I- I guess," she said tracing her fingers over the rough surface of the table.

He poured more beans into his mouth as he answered, smirking, "You two probably should talk about that today."

"Most probably," muttered Audrey, feeling a faint tinge of anxiety at the thought of rejection. Last night she had kissed Percy Weasley; the man who had lead her through the most amazing segment of her life. She was truly worried about the possibility of him thinking that it was a mistake and moving on. Taking a deep breath, she tried to reassure herself that it was just her imagination, she knew Percy, and he wasn't the sort of person to kiss someone just for the hell of it.

A voice broke Audrey out of her reverie. "What in Merlin's beard are you ingesting?"

Oliver looked put-out at the second negative comment on his food and she began to laugh as Percy drew the seat out at the head of the table, shooting disgusted looks at his friend.

"They're just coffee beans!" exclaimed Oliver, shoving the packet in the red-head's face.

"It's the bloody talk of the town," said Audrey in a low voice. Percy smirked.

"You two are ridiculous," said Oliver, rising. "I have to go to practise, I'll see you both later."

As he opened the door Percy said, "Wood, don't forget your beans." They both started chuckling to themselves as the athlete stalked out of the flat.

When the door clicked shut, silence fell upon the pair. Audrey tapped her fingers against the table, flicking through possible topics of conversation whilst shooting glances at the boy next to her.

"What are you up to today?" she asked, a welcoming smile .

Percy's face fell. "I'm not going to work, that much is clear."

"Why?"

"I was greeted by two owls a few minutes ago. One of them unceremoniously pecked me awake so I could see the message from the Minister telling me to take the day off to relax after my stressful evening."

Audrey's brow furrowed. "Well that's nice of them… isn't it?" she said slowly.

"It might seem like that to you," he said, missing her frown at his dismissive words, "but there have been some questions raised after Mr Crouch was found to be in a deteriorating mental state whilst he was sending me instructions for my work. It may seem like a kind gesture, but they are simply putting me aside until they know what to do with me."

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, placing a hand on his forearm. "I know how much your work means to you."

The tall man shook his head, as though disappointed in himself and said, "I should have known something was wrong, Mr Crouch had hardly missed a day of work in his life- even with a mild case of dragon pox he still turned up. I have to prove that I'm a loyal worker or else all these years of planning are going to be for nothing."

"If they have watched you this year they will definitely know how valuable you are to their system," said Audrey with a small smile. "Remember when you told me how you discovered the mandatory end of work time? It was midnight. _Midnight_. I honestly have never met anyone who has that level of dedication.

"Thank you," said Percy, giving her a grateful look. "I hope so." He pressed his shoulders back into a confidant posture and nodded, ready to take on the world.

Audrey hid her smirk, torn between being proud of his determination and amusement at his pompous demeanour. "What about the other owl?"

"Pardon?" questioned Percy, still thinking about his future. "Oh, of course. I had to revive him because he's not up to long journeys and nearly died… again."

"And who was the letter from?"

"My family, well, my mother," he said. "They want to get everyone together when Ron and Ginny's holiday begin in a week or so. There's so many of us that we rarely get the chance to all be together."

Audrey nodded, smiling. "That's really thoughtful of her; it should be lovely."

"Aren't you coming?" asked Percy, looking confused.

"You never asked," she said pointedly, frowning. "And in any case, I was under the impression that it was a family thing. I don't want to intrude, especially after recent events."

"You were highly enthused to accompany me yesterday."

"I seriously doubt you need support around your family," she explained. Percy raised his eyebrows. "…do you?"

Percy adjusted his glasses and straightened his posture, saying, "I would rather appreciate your company. If anything, you will distract my family from recent events."

Audrey beamed at his words and rose from the table, checking to ensure her sleeves still covered her scratched arms. Before he could question her movements, she leant forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked bemusedly.

"To say goodbye," she answered. "I have find a payphone and tell my dad that I'm coming home."

Percy stood and said, "I can apparate with you to your house."

"It's fine," said Audrey. "I like taking the train, it's quite peaceful- well… once you get outside of London it is." She smiled and took his hands in hers, brown eyes staring into blue. "If you need me just come over, I don't care what time of day or night it is. I'll probably be home most of the time anyway, exams are this week."

"I will," he assured her. Audrey nodded and debated within her head how to say goodbye. Before she began to overthink she leant in and placed her lips on his, feeling warmth creep down her neck from the soft contact. Percy's hand crept around her neck, holding her in place as their kiss deepened. They broke apart too soon and Audrey removed herself from his arms so that she wasn't tempted to stay. She bit her lip, holding back a grin.

"I'll see you later then," she said.

"You definitely will," he replied.

* * *

Audrey squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight pouring down through the branches of the large oak they were standing under. She immediately recognised the rickety house and wondered how someone like Percy could have been raised somewhere so disorderly. The house seemed to sway in the slight breeze that was rolling in the direction of the orchard, bright red apples gleaming in the morning light. She gazed upon the clumps of greenery and flowers bursting out of the ground in time for summer and took a deep breath of fresh air, finding the messy garden relaxing and charming.

"What?" asked her companion. "Why are you smiling?"

"Your house is so beautiful," replied Audrey, shaking her head in amazement. "It's straight out of Anne of Green Gables or some book like that."

Percy frowned, analysing his surroundings. "Were the characters of that book particularly chaotic?"

"No," she said. "It's just sort of… ruggedly beautiful."

"Do you realise that you've been here before."

Audrey sighed in faux-frustration. "Let's go inside, shall we?"

They walked the short distance to the front door and Percy rapped smartly on the wood before entering. She smiled at his proper manners despite the familiarity of his home; most people, including herself would simply burst in.

"Who's that?" said a voice from their right. Mrs Weasley emerged from the kitchen and spotted them, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Oh, Percy you came, and you brought Audrey! We'll have to introduce you to everyone since it was only Arthur and I last time you popped in." She bustled into the living room with the two newcomers in her tracks. The only brunette in the house felt slightly overwhelmed when she remembered how many siblings Percy had.

They entered the cluttered room to find the tall long-haired man Audrey remembered as Bill playing chess with a gangly teenager, and Mr Weasley sitting in an armchair reading a newspaper that seemed to be moving. The occupants were completely invested in their activities as no one looked up at the group idling in the doorway.

"Checkmate," said Bill, smirking at his brothers awed expression.

"What!?" Ron spluttered (or at least Audrey deduced that it was Ron). "You bloody-!"

He was cut off by his mother's firm voice, saying, "Language, Ronald!" and sunk back in his chair, shaking his head. It was then that he spied the stranger and his brow furrowed.

"Who are you?" he said bluntly. His ears went red under Mrs Weasley's gaze and he elaborated, "Sorry… I mean, hello my name is Ron, what is your name?"

Taken-aback, Audrey snorted, trying to hold in her laugh. "I'm Audrey Williams," she managed, trying not to embarrass him. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you."

There was sniggering behind her as two boys entered the room, indistinguishable from each other.

"I think she's making fun of you Ron," said one.

"Not that it's hard," added the other.

They walked past the group at the door and sat down on the lounge, ignoring Ron's exaggerated eyeroll. Percy made his way into the room as well, perching on a hard-back chair next to his oldest brother who whispered something pointedly into his ear and got a similarly firm reply. Audrey put this observation aside and advanced into the room whilst Mrs Weasley walked out, yelling, "Ginny!"

There was a crackle of paper as the balding man folded his newspaper and smiled at the newcomer, despite his evident exhaustion. "It's good to see you again, Audrey."

"Wait, you've met her before?" said one of the twins, baffled.

"We don't even know who she is!" exclaimed Ron, fed up with the unresolved questions.

There was a flutter of bright red hair as Ginny entered the room, sitting on the arm of Fred and George's sofa. She pushed the twins down the seat and gestured for Audrey to take the space next to her.

"Good, we're all here," said Mrs Weasley, taking the other hard chair. "Now we can all meet our guest."

"Really mum?" questioned her youngest. "You needed us all here to introduce one person?" She turned to the other girl and clarified, "No offence."

"None taken," Audrey replied.

Bill leaned forward to shake her hand. "Hi Audrey," he said cheerfully.

"Are you Percy's girlfriend?" asked one of the twins.

"No Fred they're just friends," answered Mrs Weasley.

The couple's eyes met and Audrey raised her eyebrows, smirking; Percy cleared his throat. "Actually, Audrey is my girlfriend."

"Since when?" replied his shocked mother. "You should have told us."

"Since yesterday," the newcomer interjected. "Percy's been sitting on his bloody arse since February."

Bill laughed when his brother awkwardly adjusted his glasses. "He does like to ignore certain things, doesn't he?" Audrey grinned, ignoring the slight coolness in his voice.

"Wait… were you at-," Ginny began, she closed her eyes to steady herself and continued, "at the Third Task?"

"Er… not exactly," she replied. "I waited for Percy in Hogsmeade."

Before anyone could reply there was a sudden outburst as Bill rose from his chair.

"You're kidding!" he shouted. "Percy, you bloody idiot!"

His brother faced him down. "You don't know the full story."

"Tell me then," Bill retorted. "Tell me why you lied and then put yourself and this innocent person in danger."

The onlooker's expressions were baffled, completely oblivious to the source of their argument.

"I would never put anyone in danger!" said Percy, his ears beginning to redden. "And I never lied!"

"Yeah and Audrey just happens to have reclaimed her memories after one of the smartest people wiped them?" scoffed Bill, shaking his head. "You're joking, Perce."

"I don't-," he began to reply before he was interrupted.

"What in Merlin's saggy balls is going on!?" screamed Mrs Weasley. The whole room went quiet at her outburst.

Fred, however, never knew where the line was. "Language, Mum."

"Fred Weasley, leave this room or I swear!" shouted his mother, steam almost pouring from her ears. "I will _not_ tolerate fighting in this house."

"Molly, I'm sure our boys can explain," intervened her husband, ignoring Ginny's smirk at her mother's words. "Why doesn't Fred stay as long as he doesn't speak?"

Mrs Weasley slowly sat down, nodding but no less angry. "Bill, Percy, would you mind explaining what that was all about?" The two boys looked at each other, Bill furious and Percy pleading. "Audrey?" The girl jumped at her name, forgetting that she was present in the room and not simply a spectator.

"I don't really know how to explain," she said slowly. "I haven't quite worked out the intricacies of what they're talking about."

"Sorry, Audrey, but what exactly does that mean?" asked Mr Weasley gently.

Bill shook his head, breaking into speech, "She's a muggle." You could have heard a pin drop in the deadly silence that followed his words.

"What?" breathed Molly, looking at Percy.

"Oh, seriously Percy," said his brother. "You had to tell them sometime."

"I would have preferred it in a lighter setting," hissed Percy in reply.

Bill's eyes flashed and he began to speak loudly before quietening at his mother's glare. "Anywhere you went people could have seen her, and anyone could have done a quick check through the archives and discovered that she is a muggle; how much trouble would you have been in then."

"If that happened I…" started Percy, eyes falling to the floor, "I would have taken care of it."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Can we please stop with the dramatics? Audrey is a muggle. Percy broke a law… well, numerous laws as it happens. But what's done is done."

"No, it's not done," stated Bill. "Did you wipe Crouch's memory?"

"What?" said Percy, his head shooting up in shock. "Of course not."

"You're lucky he's dead now," said his brother. "But maybe you should think about who he was chatting with in the months when you didn't see him."

Percy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "He was challenged greatly by the stress he was burdened with throughout his life. We can all agree that he was mentally unsound but by no means was he an evil man."

"Well, Perce, I didn't know you had it in you," said George, breaking the awkward silence by leaning forward and pompously shaking his brother's hand.

"We're so proud," added Fred, a hand over his heart.

Ignoring them, Bill continued, "Audrey saw something that could put her in considerable danger in the future, you told us that her memory was wiped for a reason."

"She remembered," said Percy firmly. "I don't know how it occurred but she found me again and I realised that if she was in danger, I would rather know than be in the dark."

Audrey smiled, fingering her sleeve, thinking about what the thin material covered. "And anyway," she said cheerily, "everything is absolutely fine."

* * *

Audrey stared at the ceiling, sleep refusing to rescue her from boredom. She reflected on the crazy afternoon and felt warm when she thought about the incredible family she had been welcomed into. With a small smile, she remembered how they had accepted their edited story about how she had discovered magic and how Percy had purposely left the story to their meeting and various trips without any detail.

She wanted to see him.

"Are you awake?" whispered a voice next to her.

"Yeah," Audrey replied.

The sheets shifted on the other bed and she spotted a pair of brown eyes peering out from the darkness. "Can I say something strange?" asked Ginny.

"Shoot."

"I never knew Penny," she said tentatively. "Like… I knew _of_ her but I only had one or two extremely awkward conversations with her."

As she paused, Audrey pushed her, "You can keep going, I don't mind."

"When they broke up Percy was sad, but he had his work to distract him and he didn't have to see her every day. However, I wish I knew her despite everything. Percy can be quite infuriating at times but he is my brother and I want the best for him."

"I'm not going to break up with him, Ginny," said Audrey. "And I understand where you're coming from. I have friends who are like my siblings and if I didn't know someone they were close to I'd feel nervous as well."

Ginny's teeth flashed as she smiled. "Thanks, sorry for the rant."

"It's alright, you've done better than Oliver's reception to us. At least you didn't walk in on us snogging," the older girl chuckled.

"Actually, that's exactly how I had that awkward conversation with Penny," Ginny said.

Audrey laughed, "Oh god, that must have been dreadful."

"You have no bloody idea," she said, groaning at the thought. "It's etched in my brain forever."

"I'll make a note to only make out with Percy when you're in the other room."

Ginny winced. "I feel like my imagination of that scenario is worse than if I actually saw it."

Audrey looked at her and started to laugh, the other girl joining in at the strangeness of their situation.

"Hey if you want to sneak into Percy's room I won't tell mum," said Ginny suddenly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, just… spare me the details," she elaborated, turning over.

Audrey grinned and pushed back the covers. She made sure to not make any noise as she crept up the wooden stairs and pushed open Percy's door, entering a completely dark room.

"Percy?" she whispered as she closed the door and advanced forward. "Are you awake?" All she heard in reply was annoyed mumbling which she took as a yes. "I can't see anything in here, can you turn on a lamp or something?"

There was a clatter of wood and a bright light illuminated a section of the room, causing Percy's hair to look like fire. Feeling comforted by the light, Audrey moved towards the bed and sat on edge, leaning casually against the headboard.

"How are you?" she began, ignoring her warm cheeks which betrayed the embarrassment she felt.

"Quite well," he replied. From what she could see in the dim room, his expression was rather confused. "What brings you here?"

Audrey took a deep breath, shaking out all hesitation she had left. "I was wondering if you would like some company tonight. And your sister invited me to share your bed."

"What!?" Percy spluttered whilst Audrey scooted closer on the mattress. When he saw her smiling, however, he said, "Oh, very funny."

"I try," she replied.

With his long fingers Percy plucked his glasses from the bedside table and leant over her body. The feeling of his torso against her thighs caused her breath to stop in surprise and a drizzling warmth to gather in her chest at their close contact.

"Sorry," he muttered as he pulled the neatly tucked sheet out from its position. He held the covers open and she pulled her legs to her chest, making sure not to show too much below her nightie and slid her bare legs into the cool sheets. Once they were both settled, an awkward silence seeped into the room as they lay next to each other, not knowing how far to go at the current stage of their relationship.

"We don't have to do anything," said Audrey hurriedly. She looked at his face on the pillow next to hers and went back on her words. "I mean-, not if… oh fuck." With those final words, she covered her face with her hands and cursed her rashness.

"Oh," he replied slowly, realisation setting in. "Right. I didn't mean to… If you didn't want…"

They made eye contact, each face glowing bright red in the light. Audrey began to laugh and was soon joined by Percy. Soon they were both chuckling uproariously at their combined embarrassment.

"We're such losers," she cried, shaking her head dismally. "We're nineteen and we can't even say the word 'sex'."

"I am so glad no one saw that," replied Percy. "That would have been humiliating." He wrapped his arm around her waist and she reciprocated, turning the contact into a firm hug, filled with joy and nervousness in equal amounts.

Taking charge, Audrey moved her head back and connected their lips, glad that they had halted the stilted conversation. The feeling of freedom as they kissed was incredible and she pulled gently on his shirt to move him on top of her. She tangled her fingers in his hair as he began to kiss down her neck, causing small sighs of pleasure to emanate from her mouth. Her hands moved down and tugged on his shirt, successfully pulling it over his head.

* * *

Percy shifted his body back up and kissed her again, taking time to enjoy the softness of her lips and her warm hands travelling over his chest, exploring the expanse of skin she'd never touched. Needing to feel more of her, he daringly placed a tentative hand on her leg and began to move it up her thigh.

"Is this alright with you?" he asked, pulling back. He took in her flushed face and heard her heavy breathing, matching his own.

"Yes," she breathed, and before he knew what was happening Audrey had flipped him over and straddled his waist. Leaning forward, captured his lips again before sitting up and smoothly removing her nightie.

Stunned at the sudden actions, the young Weasley drank in the beautifully curvy girl in front of him. He wasn't one to prey on a woman's looks and had never fully realised the extent that he was attracted to the barely clothed woman sitting on his lap.

"Just one second," he managed to say as Audrey began kissing down his chest, her brown curls tickling his skin. With one quick movement, he flicked his wand at the door and cast a silencing spell on his room.

"You good?" she questioned, smirking. "Because I can stop."

Percy chuckled, pulling her head back down and connecting their lips.

"Don't."

* * *

 **Authors Note:** I know this chapter is a bit fluffy but this all needed to happen in order for the next chapter to be brilliant and I also desperately wanted Audrey to meet the Weasleys.


	12. The Fight

**Disclaimer** : I do not own anything to do with Harry Potter.

* * *

" _Most of the problems in life are because:_

 _We misunderstand people's intentions,_

 _We don't listen and jump to conclusions,_

 _Then we are too proud to apologise and too stubborn to forgive."_

― **Mouloud Benzadi**

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Audrey closed her eyes, trying to put the sound out of her mind by burying her hands in her loose hair to cover her ears.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Audibly sighing, she straightened her notepad and scanned her textbook again, desperately trying to reclaim her focus.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"WOULD YOU STOP THAT!" she shouted, cheeks flushed and eyes wild. Percy's head snapped up in shock, evidently not realising his habit. She inhaled deeply, attempting to keep her dignity. "Sorry… I'm just a little stressed."

"I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about," he stated, raising his eyebrows.

"You were tapping your fingers," explained Audrey. "It's fucking annoying."

Her boyfriend looked away, his wandering hands transferring their interest to his glasses instead. "I apologise for disrupting your study."

"It's alright," she said quickly, regretting her outburst. Percy had enough to be worried about today without her slight annoyances taking centre stage. Watching his crestfallen expression, she scooted closer around the kitchen table and stroked his cheek, feeling fire erupt in her stomach as he accepted her reassuring kiss. " _Everything_ is going to be fine."

"It would be childish to assume that Fudge is going to let me get off scot-free." His brow creased with apprehension and she took the opportunity to brush her finger lightly across the ridges. Percy closed his eyes at her touch and smiled gratefully.

Their eyes connected for a few moments longer before Audrey returned to her books, feeling more positive now that she had resolved her small, albeit loudly resolved issue.

"It's nine o'clock, I should probably go," Percy said suddenly, standing and grabbing his briefcase. He leant in for a brief kiss and continued, "Thank you for letting me stay over, it's better than staying at Oliver's flat by myself."

"You should thank my dad's work for taking him away this week, not me," Audrey clarified, chuckling. "Remember, if your meeting finishes before my exam does, go to the Burrow," she said. Seeing his evasive posture, she forced her point, "Your family want to know that it went well; they deserve to know straight away. And also, remember to breathe."

Percy nodded. "I'll see you later today. Hopefully I will still have a job."

"No matter what happens, Percy," she said as he began to walk towards the door, "know that we all care about you."

* * *

Percy stiffened in his chair as two Ministry officials passed him and walked through the heavy door to his left. He had been made to sit and wait whilst people entered the room and prepared for his hearing. Consciously forcing himself not to tap on anything, he flicked through the various documents he had for his defence, trying to recall the most important points.

Anxiety began to coil in Percy's chest, a sinking feeling he knew would not help in the judgemental climate he was about to enter. Breathing deeply, he cast his mind desperately for anything remotely positive to think about and settled on repeating the mantra Audrey had given him. _'Everything is going to be fine_ ,' he told himself, ' _Everything if going to be fine_.'

How had he got here?

' _Everything is going to be fine_.'

A few months ago, his life couldn't have been better. He had succeeded at his job, graduated Hogwarts and had never broken any laws.

' _Everything is going to be fine_.'

He panicked as he wondered whether the Ministry had found out about his breach of the Statute of Secrecy and, if so, would firing him be enough? Would he be locked up in Azkaban for the rest of his life?

' _Everything is going to be fine_.'

No, it wasn't.

Percy jumped as someone lay a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.

"Dad?" he said, looking at the newcomer. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to wish you good luck before your hearing," said Arthur, taking the seat next to his son. "We're all behind you. No matter what happens, we know you will be back at the top soon."

Percy smiled sadly. "That's what Audrey said… I find it difficult to believe, considering I didn't question the words of a madman."

"It's hard to believe what others say when you don't believe in yourself," said Mr Weasley. He beamed, continuing, "But trust me when I say that we are very proud of you."

"Mr Weasley?" They both looked up at the voice and a shiver went through Percy's body as he realised that his trial was starting. "The council is ready for you."

"Thank you," he replied, rising from his seat. "I'll see you later, father."

Arthur nodded. "Be brave."

Without another word, his middle child walked through the heavy door, feeling the thud as it closed behind him and trapped him with five-people ready to determine his fate.

"Good morning," said the red-head. He was surprised to see the Minister sitting in the middle of the group. Surely a hearing was below his station. "It's a pleasure to see you all."

"Have a seat, Mr Weasley," said a sweet voice, and his attention was drawn to a woman on Fudge's right. He sat down, whilst overthinking and trying to relax simultaneously.

Fudge leant forward and clasped his hands together, saying, "Percy Bilius Weasley, you have been summoned to this disciplinary hearing to defend your short-sighted actions. This transpired when you blindly followed the orders of Bartemius Crouch, despite his worsening mental state. Do you have anything to add before we continue?"

"Yes sir," said Percy, drawing his shoulders upwards. "I take full responsibility for the naïve manner in which I conducted myself. I should have informed a senior Ministry employee once Mr Crouch did not return, and I accept any consequences that you seem worthy."

"What a smart little speech," said the woman whose name escaped him. "We know how to pick the intelligent ones, don't we?"

Percy flushed with pride and shock, not expecting praise from a _disciplinary_ council. "That is most kind of you to say."

"Ms Umbridge is quite right, Mr Weasley," said Fudge seriously. "Don't think no one has been watching you. Your hard work and dedication to this government has been greatly appreciated."

"Thank you," started Percy hesitantly, "I apologise, but I do not see the relevance of this to my punishment."

They both smiled widely, as though there was something extremely funny that he had missed. "My dear boy," said Fudge, chuckling. "How could anyone have known what poor Bartemius was going through? It wouldn't be right to punish a man who has worked his whole life and poured every fibre of his being into being the best worker I could ask for." At his words Percy felt his chest sink in relief, releasing the anxiety that had been stewing inside him for weeks.

' _Everything_ was _going to be fine_.'

"Your appreciation means a lot sir," said Percy. "If I may ask, does this affirmation mean I get to come back to my job?"

"Oh Percy, don't be silly," tittered Umbridge. Just as his heart began to sink, she continued, "You were thoroughly wasted in that department. With your intellect and commitment, you should be placed in a position well-above your previous one."

He swallowed, barely containing himself. "And what position are you suggesting?"

"Junior Assistant to the Minister," stated Fudge, beaming. "We believe you will do remarkable things while assisting me; one day you may even rise to my job!"

"This…" he stuttered, completely shaken with gratitude, "this is incredible! Thank you, sir; you have granted me the most amazing opportunity and I am prepared to fully pledge myself to this position."

The council looked pleased as Fudge leant further forward and spoke in a conspiratorial tone, "Mr Weasley, you are going to do grand and brilliant actions in your life. The key to future success is to not be swayed by those who doubt you."

"I agree," said Percy who was feeling more powerful and proud of himself than he had ever been in his life. Junior Assistant to the Minister? Not even Fred and George could mock that. "I will certainly ensure that I stay true to the Ministry's values."

"Good," said Fudge, rising. "I have other matters to attend to now, but Dolores Umbridge here would be pleased to show you around."

The young Weasley nodded. "I am looking forward to my future here."

"As are we."

' _Everything was_ more _than fine_.'

* * *

Percy stood in the Atrium, hopping excitedly from one foot to another as he waited in line for the fireplace. The entire day had seemingly emerged directly out of his dreams. Everyone had praised him for the promotion and had completely accepted his new position, guiding him accordingly. Tomorrow, he was to receive his first task as the Junior Assistant and he felt elation fill his body at the thought of actively assisting the Minister in his job.

As he stepped into the fire, he flicked through the list of people he wanted to share his news with. Audrey was the obvious choice if she wasn't still in her exam, and Oliver, being the second choice, would be busy playing with his team. Surprising himself, he wished he could tell his family and promptly decided to apparate to the Burrow.

The sunlight at the Burrow was a welcome change to the enclosed atrium, and he felt the warmth on his skin reflected the feeling of achievement within himself. Drawing up to his full height, he started towards the door with a sense of accomplishment that he needed to share with his family.

In his rush, he didn't remember to knock and burst in, exclaiming, "I got promoted!"

"What!?" cried several voices around the house as he immediately regretted his unpolished entrance. His mother poked her head out of the living room and beamed at the happiness radiating from her middle son.

"Oh, Percy, that's wonderful," exclaimed Mrs Weasley, stepping forward to embrace him. He returned the hug firmly, grateful for the support she was showing him. "I knew they wouldn't let go of someone like you." She turned her head towards the stairs and yelled, "You lot, get down here! Percy has big news!"

Percy felt his cheeks redden as his family, minus Charlie, made their way down the steps and into the living room. He had never felt so illustrious in all his life and it was an incredibly wonderful emotion.

"What is it?" grumbled Ron, having been woken up from a nap.

"Go on, Percy," urged Molly, unable to contain herself.

The young man straightened, puffing out his chest, and said, "I have been promoted to the Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic.

"Wow," said Bill, his brow furrowing as he looked in his father's direction. "That's… quite an achievement."

"Yes," replied Arthur, stroking his chin, a frown spreading across his face. They seemed to be having a silent conversation while everyone looked on, the concern mirrored in their own expressions.

Percy watched his family's antics for as long as he could, frustration building in his nerves until he shouted, "WHAT!?"

"Percy!" cried his mother. "There's no need for that."

"And I suppose there's no need for some congratulations either?" he hissed.

Arthur sighed heavily and stared at his son. "The reason we aren't celebrating is because, as you know, Dumbledore and Fudge have not been the best of friends recently and we feared the Minister would soon make his move against him."

"What?" scoffed Percy. "My getting promoted is part of Fudge's grand scheme to defeat Dumbledore's uprising? That is ridiculous."

"We're close friends with Dumbledore and Fudge knows this," his father elaborated. "I believe this new position is a way of keeping you close to spy on us, and therefore spy on Dumbledore."

Bill nodded at Arthur's words. "Of course, it was only a matter of time before he would sink this low."

"For now, we must work out the best strategy to deal with this," said Mr Weasley. "We'll have to owl Dumbledore and inform him of this new development to see what he thinks is the best avenue to take." They both rose and started towards the door before Percy finally snapped.

"NO!" he screamed, stopping his family in their tracks. He rarely raised his voice and they returned to the room in shock. He adamantly shook his head in rage-fuelled denial. "I don't believe any word of this."

Arthur moved towards him, hands outstretched consolingly. "I know this is disappointing, but what you have to understand is-."

"Oh, cut it with the bullshit," spat Percy. "If you're going to treat me like this, then at least fabricate a story that's likely."

Bill rolled his eyes. "That is utter-."

"SHUT UP!" he screamed again, ignoring his younger siblings' flabbergasted expressions and the tears pooling in his mother's eyes. ""I worked every single minute of my life to get to where I am. Two years out of Hogwarts and I just got promoted to the minister's fucking assistant and all you can talk about is bloody Dumbledore and how fucking smart he is to have seen this coming."

"Percy please, don't talk like that to us, we only care about you," cried his mother.

He grasped his hair madly, feeling a toxic mixture of emotions clash inside of him, making his eyes pop and his face flush in rage. "That's rich," he scoffed. "You all care about me? What about all the times you've teased me about my prospects and about how I always have my nose in a book? How about when they-," he continued, pointing at the twins who were, for once in their life, sitting completely still, "made me feel shit about my career and everything I stood for? What about when I needed stuff for school and all I got was some second-hand shit stuffed in my face?"

"Don't you _dare_ continue to talk to us like that," said Arthur in a dangerously low voice. "After everything we've sacrificed for you!"

"I might have believed that you sacrificed things for us if you hadn't chosen to stay in that second-class job earning next to nothing," said Percy, white hot anger seeping down his neck. "Or maybe it wasn't a choice? Maybe the reason you can't accept that I've been promoted is because you have never amounted to anything in your life!"

Ginny gasped at his words, her bottom lip trembling. "Percy, please," she whispered. As he looked at her broken face he felt a sliver of tenderness break through the rage, until he had a sudden realisation.

"You _disgust_ me! I can't believe you're willing to drag this whole family, your beloved children, into an insane fairytale just because some unhinged man told you to!" he shouted. "Dumbledore is a traitor to the Ministry which means you're all tainted with his madness. I cannot destroy my career just because you are all going down with him. I WILL NOT!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" roared Mr Weasley. "What you have said here is unforgiveable. If you are so selfish as to put your job before your family then go ahead, I wouldn't want anything to do with someone like that anyway."

Molly sobbed. "Oh, Arthur, don't say that."

The room was silent as seven pairs of eyes scrutinized the angry figure in front of them.

"Don't worry father," hissed Percy savagely, a cruel smile spreading across his face as he broke the silence. "You won't have to worry about forgiving me." He stormed out of the living room and towards the front door, turning back only to say, "When you admit you're wrong, I'll be waiting. Until then, never speak to me again."

He walked out and slammed the door behind him, darkness enveloping him as he began to march down the dirt road and away from the people who had let him down. He was grateful for the angry buzzing in his ears that drowned out the muffled screams of anguish emanating from the house behind him.

* * *

Percy appeared in a small garden and tried to find his bearings. The sudden arrival of nightfall had surprised him and he took a moment to recognise the familiar house he was standing behind. Feeling comforted at the sight of a light in the window he opened the back door and entered the kitchen where a beautiful woman was cooking, continually tossing her hair out of her face in annoyance.

Apparently hearing a noise, Audrey turned, and upon seeing him presented an expression of nervous anticipation. "How was it?"

"Erm…" hesitated Percy, having forgotten his good news due to recent events. "I'll tell you later."

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, laughing. "You have to give me more than that!"

As Audrey shook her head and returned to the stove, Percy noticed how happy she was now that he was here. No one had ever been that delighted to see him before and it brought back the spark of pride that had been tarnished at the Burrow.

He watched her moving, gently stirring and pouring as she hummed a song that was stuck in her head. She was untarnished. He would never hurt her.

The importance of truth was subjective; it changed according to the beliefs and values that people stood by, and Percy valued perfection. What he had with Audrey was perfect and he couldn't stand to lose her by admitting the imperfect truth about his family. So, he simply filled the remaining space between them, lifted her up in one movement so her legs wrapped around his waist and kissed her. He ran his hands up the smooth skin of her back and found comfort in the smell of jasmine that always surrounded her. Her lips moved as passionately as his own, meeting his needs of oblivion and giving him a perfect way to hide his face, the picture of guilt.

Audrey pulled back, hair a mess and her t-shirt pulled up to her ribs. "Whoa, what was that for?"

He hesitated; seeing another opportunity to tell her.

"The same reason it always is," replied Percy, hating every word that came out of his mouth, "because you're incredible."

She grinned cheekily and turned away, saying, "That's very kind of you. Is it anything to do with how the meeting went?" She leant over the sink to fill up the kettle and he took the opportunity to grip his hair in frustration, knowing every moment that passed was dragging him further from the truth.

"I got promoted," he said finally, pride entering his tone. Despite recent events, he knew that his actions had been for an honourable reason. "Junior Assistant to the Minister."

"What!?" she exclaimed, dropping the half-filled kettle on the edge of the sink, water exploding around the room. "Oh, shit!"

With a simple wand movement, the water disappeared and the kettle returned neatly to the stove. Percy looked up to see his beaming girlfriend standing in front of him before she stepped forward and embraced him tightly.

"I'm so proud of you," she said earnestly. "You really deserve this."

"Thank you," he replied.

"This is amazing! Have you told anyone else?"

Percy pulled back and stared down into her bright eyes, seeing a flicker of doubt pass across her face at his momentary hesitation. "Yes," he decided finally, plastering a smile upon his strained expression. "My family."

"And…?" pushed Audrey, "what did they say?"

"They were extremely proud," he said, straightening up. "It was lovely to have gained their support for the next stage of my life."

Audrey laughed, "Of course it was good! Your family are so lovely."

"Yes," replied Percy. Before she could further his guilt he quickly changed the subject. "Was your test successful? You certainly studied enough."

"Don't pretend that you wouldn't have studied twice as much," she teased. "But yes, I think I did pretty well… maybe… maybe not."

Seeing her baffled expression, he moved forward and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I know you did brilliantly."

"Wow," Audrey cringed. "We are way too supportive."

"It's quite a predicament," quipped Percy. She would never realise how serious he was.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Percy loves digging those holes, doesn't he? Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'd love your feedback on this chapter especially since we're about to get into some real angsty shit.


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